Politics

Alleged Rideau Hall intruder was well-stocked with ammunition, RCMP documents say

The man accused in last month's security breach at Rideau Hall was not only allegedly carrying a small arsenal of weapons, but had a significant amount of ammunition, according to newly released RCMP documents.

Stockpile would have been enough for serious showdown with police

Corey Hurren faces 22 criminal charges after allegedly ramming the gates at the Governor General's and prime minister's residences, and proceeding on to the property. (Corey Hurren/LinkedIn)

The man accused in last month's security breach at Rideau Hall was not only allegedly carrying a small arsenal of weapons, but had a significant amount of ammunition, according to newly released RCMP documents.

Corey Hurren of Bowsman, Man., faces 22 criminal charges after allegedly ramming the gates at the Governor General's and prime minister's residences and proceeding on to the property on July 2. He was arrested after tense negotiations with the Mounties.

RCMP documents obtained by CBC News itemize the weapons, including a Chinese-made knock-off of the American M-14 rifle, two shotguns, a High Standard revolver and four tactical knives.

The list also includes the ammunition, both within the loaded weapons and in reserve.

Most of it — 405 rounds of .308-calibre ammunition — would have fed the semi-automatic rifle, which is prohibited in Canada and made by the state-owned Chinese weapons-maker Norinco.

There was also an unspecified amount of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition. 

The stockpile would have been enough for a serious showdown with police or even a major rampage.

Justin Bourque, the man convicted of killing four RCMP officers in Moncton, N.B., carried the same Chinese version of the M-14, according to the inquiry report into the 2014 tragedy. What makes the weapon significant is that its rounds can penetrate standard bullet-proof vests. The M-14 was originally designed as the U.S. army's primary battle rifle in the 1950s and 1960s,

Hurren, 46, remains in custody and will face another court appearance on Aug. 21.

Most of the charges against him relate to the loaded firearms, but the Canadian Ranger, who was on active duty at the time of the incident, is also accused of uttering a threat to "cause death or bodily harm" to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The prime minister was not home at the time.

His defence lawyer, Michael Davies, told the court during a brief hearing last month that he is still waiting for disclosure from the Crown.

The RCMP's evidence was only released to his attorney in late July, but Davies said it was not in a format his office could read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Murray Brewster

Senior reporter, defence and security

Murray Brewster is senior defence writer for CBC News, based in Ottawa. He has covered the Canadian military and foreign policy from Parliament Hill for over a decade. Among other assignments, he spent a total of 15 months on the ground covering the Afghan war for The Canadian Press. Prior to that, he covered defence issues and politics for CP in Nova Scotia for 11 years and was bureau chief for Standard Broadcast News in Ottawa.