Two people have been charged over an alleged plot to carry out a Valentine's Day mass shooting in Canada.
Officers believe 23-year-old Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath - from Geneva, Illinois in the US - and 20-year-old Randall Steven Shepherd from Halifax in Nova Scotia were planning to kill as many people as they could at a shopping centre in Halifax.
Another suspect is thought to have shot himself before he could be arrested, according to reports.
Chief Jean-Michel Blais of Halifax Regional Police, said, "this is a reminder that this type of incident can happen anywhere. Recognizing our citizens may be anxious in the wake of this news, we have additional high visibility patrols in and around the city. We encourage people to go about their daily lives."
Canadian Justice Minister Peter MacKay spoke to reporters about the alleged plot:
Officials earlier claimed the pair were obsessed with killing and death.
Souvannarath and Shepherd were arrested at Halifax Airport, while a male (17) was detained at his home. He was later released.
Another suspect (19) was found dead.
Detectives do not think the plot is related to Islamic terrorism. It is believed a tip-off helped police in the operation.
"I can tell you that it was a tip, a source from the public that initiated the initial investigation," Nova Scotia RCMP commanding officer Brian Brennan told CBC.
"We want people to know we became aware, we acted quickly and intercepted a threat," he added.
He said a man and woman planned to go to a public venue today "with a goal of opening fire to kill citizens, and then themselves."
Police notified one specific venue of the threat, but would not say exactly where that was.
Originally posted at 7.20am
