HALIFAX- RCMP are asking for the public’s help with an ongoing investigation into an alleged mass murder plot at the Halifax Shopping Centre on Valentine’s Day.
Halifax residents and people active online who may have had contact with the three people implicated in the plot are being asked to send police any information that could be relevant to the case. The RCMP have set up an online site where people can upload video, pictures, and screen grabs. Text only information can also be emailed to police. None of the tips sent directly to the RCMP will be anonymous, but confidential tips can still be submitted through crime stoppers.
Police said they have already received information from the public about the trio implicated in the alleged plot. Lindsay Souvannarath, 23, of Geneva, IL, and Randall Shepherd, 20, of Halifax both face four charges in the alleged plot. Police charged them with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to possess weapons and unlawfully making threats to the public through social media.
Police said they have also received information from the public about 19-year-old James Gamble, of Timberlea, Nova Scotia, court documents also implicate him in the conspiracy charges.
“Our citizens are our eyes and ears in the community… but also online, the online world is vast and this is just another tool in the investigator’s toolbox to gather information,” said Sgt. Alain LeBlanc.
“No information is too small…please don’t assume that we already have the information that you may have. Just submit it to us and depending on what is submitted, an investigator may or may not get back to you.”
The RCMP has used this tool in the past with success, said LeBlanc. Police used it during the investigation into the Moncton shooting in June and after the shooting on Parliament Hill in October.
READ MORE: Duo accused in Halifax mass murder plot face more charges, no bail
The trio at the heart of the alleged plot all had extensive online footprints, with links to a number of Tumblr blogs. Sifting through all of that online evidence, will take time said Robert Currie, the director of the Law and Technology Institute at Dalhousie University.
“There will be lots of different places where the data that they want is resident,” said Currie. “There will be a need for IT examination of a number of different computers and even tracking down the kinds of data that they want will be logistically time consuming.”
While the online evidence might add to the investigators’ work load, Currie said this type of evidence makes proving conspiracy cases easier. “It used to be really difficult to prove conspiracy because you needed wire tap evidence… now everybody writes all their communication, so if anything I think conspiracy is easier to prove these days.”
Police in Geneva, IL, said they have already seized evidence from Souvannarath’s home. Police Cmdr. Julie Nash said in an interview Wednesday that the RCMP are now deciding what evidence seized at the home is of “evidentiary value.”
Once RCMP decide what is of value, they will coordinate transportation with the Geneva police department, said Nash.
That type of coordination could play out again and again as police gather evidence from places outside of Canada, said Currie. For example the websites linked to the three suspects could be hosted by companies in the United States or elsewhere.
If you wish to submit information to the investigation anonymously, please contact the Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), text TIP202 + message to ‘CRIMES’ (274637) or by secure web tips at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca. Calls to Crime Stoppers are not taped or traced and if police make an arrest and lay charges based on a tip, callers quality for a cash reward from $50-$2,000.
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