Halifax mall shooting plot accused in court for preliminary inquiry
Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath and Randall Steven Shepherd charged in alleged Valentine's Day plot
The two people accused of plotting to open fire at a Halifax shopping mall on Valentine's Day were in court Tuesday for a preliminary inquiry.
Twenty-three-year-old Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath of Geneva, Ill., and 20-year-old Randall Steven Shepherd of Halifax are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, illegal possession of dangerous weapons and making a threat through social media.
Souvannarath was arrested at the Halifax airport on Feb. 13, shortly after she arrived in Canada. Shepherd, who was there to meet her, was arrested a short time later.
In a Halifax courtroom Tuesday, Souvannarath and Shepherd sat on the prisoner's bench as three Canadian Border Service officers and one Halifax police officer testified. A publication ban prohibits media from reporting what was said.
It's alleged the offences took place between Jan. 6 and Valentine's Day and involved the Halifax Shopping Centre.
Another person linked to the mass shooting plot, James Lee Gamble, 19, was found dead in his Halifax home on Feb. 13.
The preliminary inquiry is scheduled to last three days and a total of 11 witnesses are expected to testify.