Man held near Canadian PM Trudeau’s home posed assassination threat: Report

Police reports submitted to court show that Hurren might have attempted to ‘knowingly utter a threat to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or convey a threat to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”

The Canadian Armed Forces reservist who intruded into an area in the vicinity of the residence of the country’s Prime Minister on Thursday may have also conveyed a threat to kill or injure Justin Trudeau, according to documents filed in an Ottawa court by law enforcement.

The 46-year-old Corey Hurren, a reservist with the Canadian Rangers, drove his vehicle into a pedestrian gate fronting Rideau Hall in the country’s capital early on Thursday. He then proceeded on foot into the area before he was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounter Police or RCMP personnel patrolling there. Rideau Hall is the official residence of Canada’s Governor General Julie Payette while Trudeau and his family live close by at Rideau Cottage.

Some Canadian media like the National Post said the documents suggested this may have been an “assassination attempt.” Neither Trudeau nor Payette were present in the area when the incident occurred. However, Rideau Cottage has been the venue for Trudeau’s high-profile media briefings during the period of the coronavirus crisis.

While investigators did not comment on his motive, court documents cited by the outlet Global News appear to indicate he may have posed a threat to Trudeau. They alleged that Hurren “did knowingly utter a threat to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or convey a threat to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or cause Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to receive a threat to cause death or bodily harm to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.”

Hurren, who is from the town of Bowsman in the province of Manitoba, faces 22 criminal charges related to that episode. Police documents submitted to the court alleged he was carrying four loaded firearms, including two shotguns, a rifle and a revolver.

He remains in custody and has a hearing scheduled for later this month. Hurren owned a sausage products business, GrindHouse Fine Foods which may have suffered from the restrictive measures implemented to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Before arriving a 1 Sussex Drive, where Rideau Hall is located, Hurren posted a link to a coronavirus-related conspiracy theory on the Facebook page for the business. He had made a similar post even earlier.

The investigation into the intrusion is being led by the RCMP’s integrated national security team. Security in and around Rideau Hall has been enhanced since the event.