VANCOUVER — In the days after the Boston Marathon bombing, an undercover officer says there were concerns that an RCMP terror suspect might attempt a similar attack in British Columbia.
The officer, who can’t be named, told a B.C. Supreme Court jury that he was reassured after speaking on the phone with John Nuttall that the man wasn’t planning an imminent copycat bombing.
The trial has heard that less than three months later, Nuttall and his co-accused Amanda Korody planted bombs like those used in the marathon attack on the lawn of the B.C. Legislature.
Nuttall’s defence lawyer Marilyn Sandford went through RCMP notes for the jury, outlining how the undercover officer posed as an Arab businessman to first made contact with Nuttall in February 2013.
The officer gave Nuttall gifts and paid him to perform various business errands, such as delivering unmarked packages.
The undercover officer confirmed under cross-examination that one main objectives for police was to give Nuttall the impression the officer was involved in criminal activities.