Here's What We Know About Aaron Driver, The Killed Canadian Terror Suspect

The 24-year-old was a known ISIS supporter.

This week, police say they stopped 24-year-old Aaron Driver from carrying out a terrorist attack on a Canadian city using a homemade bomb. Driver died in a confrontation with police. Here's everything we know about the case.

Justin Tang / THE CANADIAN PRESS

1. Driver was a known ISIS supporter, and being watched by the authorities.

Facebook

Driver's online postings — on Twitter and elsewhere — in support of the terrorist group landed him on a CSIS watch list in late 2014. Police arrested him months later, in June of 2015, fearing that he was going to become involved in terrorism.

Though never charged with anything, he was released on a peace bond that put severe restrictions on his activities, including a ban on owning a computer or holding a passport. Driver was also given a tracking device he had to wear at all times, and he had to regularly report to police (though some of those restrictions were lifted in a subsequent peace bond, issued in February).

2. Police raided Driver's home on a tip from the FBI.

Dave Chidley / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Early Wednesday morning, FBI investigators told their Canadian counterparts they believed someone in Canada was about to carry out an attack. The RCMP scrambled to respond, and pegged Driver as the likely suspect.

A few hours later, heavily armed police descended on Driver's home in Strathroy, Ontario.

3. It's unclear exactly how Driver died.

Ho / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ho / THE CANADIAN PRESS

The RCMP said that as they were watching Driver's home, a taxi cab pulled up and Driver quickly got inside.

When police confronted him, he set off an explosive device in the backseat. Police opened fire, but it's not clear if Driver died from a gunshot, the explosion, or maybe a combination of the two.

These photos show the aftermath of the explosion. The cab driver told CBC News he dove out of the car moments before the explosion, and he walked away with seemingly no injuries.

The RCMP said Driver also had a second homemade explosive device with him, which he was not able to set off.

4. Driver made a video declaring his intentions.

Brian Platt @btaplatt

Full Aaron Driver martyrdom video

06:27 PM - 11 Aug 2016

At a press conference this week, the RCMP showed a video of Driver denouncing Canada for opposing ISIS.

“You still have Muslim blood on your hands, and for this we are thirsty for your blood," Driver said in the video.

“Today is the day you experience what it’s like to be targeted for your beliefs, inshallah.”

Driver's "martyrdom video" was picked up by the FBI, who then tipped off the RCMP to the apparently imminent plot.

5. Driver was a recent Muslim convert who found a sense of purpose online.

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS

According to Amarnath Amarasingam, a University of Waterloo academic who studies extremism, Driver became an enthusiastic supporter of ISIS on Twitter and found a sense of belonging among jihadis online.

"It was the only real community he had ever had," Amarasingam wrote in the National Post.

Amarasingam was in occasional contact with Driver, and said the convert didn't read any critiques of ISIS, either from mainstream Muslim scholars or from other jihadis. Driver converted to Islam at 17, and his early introduction to the faith was primarily through videos on YouTube.

Although he was grounded as a result of his peace bond, Driver expressed interest in travelling to ISIS-held territory.

In his last email to Amarasingam, Driver said he was doing well and enjoying life. "I'm always busy which is nice," he wrote. "I don't like to sit around too much and waste time."

UPDATE

Aug. 15, 2016, at 15:31 PM

This article was updated with more information about Driver's peace bond conditions.