Police gunfire, not explosive, killed ISIL supporter: father

TORONTO — An ISIL supporter who died during a confrontation with an RCMP tactical team outside his home in Strathroy, Ont., was killed by a police bullet, his family said Tuesday.

Wayne Driver said an autopsy determined his son Aaron was shot two times and one of the bullets struck his liver and travelled to his heart. The other hit his spleen, he said.

The 24-year-old was allegedly in the final stages of preparing a terrorist attack on Aug. 10 when a police Emergency Response Team surrounded him. He detonated an explosive device and police opened fire.

Following the incident, the RCMP said it was unsure whether Driver died as a result of his bomb or police bullets, but the father said the autopsy put that question to rest.

“It was the police officer’s bullet that killed him,” the father said. “The bomb that exploded he could have walked away from with minor to severe injuries, they said.”

Driver was living in Ontario under the terms of a terrorism peace bond imposed by a judge in Manitoba.

A week after his son’s death, the father said he still believes police were not at fault.

“They did what they had to do.” He said, adding he wondered if it was a case of suicideby-cop.

His family contacted the London Muslim Mosque this week about funeral protocol, a spokesperson said.

“We gave them the lay of the land,” Nawaz Tahir said. “We will help and support the family as much as we can.”

He says the organization is offering advice on planning the service according to Islamic traditions, which is expected to be held Thursday, which would have been Driver’s 25th birthday.

But Tahir says the ceremony will not be held at any Muslim institution in the city, nor will any local imam preside, acknowledging there were concerns over appearing to be associated with someone linked to terrorism.