Canada police foil mass shooting plot

Three suspects have been arrested, and a fourth has reportedly shot himself dead after police surrounded his home.

Police said that at least two suspects had intended "to go to a public venue... with a goal of opening fire to kill citizens, and then themselves.” Police officials added that the motive did not appear to be terrorism, without providing further details.

Brian Brennan, commanding officer of the Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the plot had involved a 19-year-old man from the Halifax suburb of Timberlea and a 23-year-old woman from the US state of Illinois, with both individuals having had access to firearms.

A senior police official who wanted to remain anonymous told the AP news agency that the police had gone to the 19-year old man’s house, where he had killed himself.

A 20-year-old Canadian man was also arrested along with the woman at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The fourth suspect, a 17-year-old Canadian boy, was arrested at a house. Police have said that the roles of the latter two suspects was still to be determined through an investigation.

Police believe the attacks were not culturally based, but a motive is still being searched.

According to the anonymous official, the man who killed himself had told them he had no guns but he shot himself as he was coming out of the house.

The suspects had been on a chat stream and were apparently obsessed with killing and death and had many photos of mass killing, he added.