Officer suspended, 2 investigations launched after Toronto attack threat information shared

Toronto police say an officer has been suspended as the service conducted two separate investigations into the release of information last week about a threat of a potential vehicle-ramming attack in the area of the CN Tower.

Police spokesperson Meaghan Gray told Global News an officer unofficially shared the threat information with “private sector partners.” The spokesperson said the officer was suspended with pay and is under investigation by professional standards.

Meanwhile, a separate professional standards investigation was launched into the release of a draft, unapproved operational plan leaked to the media. Gray said no one has been identified in the investigation as of Tuesday afternoon.

The shared document said Toronto police received “credible information” about a potential attack on Wednesday and that it would be carried out the following day. It said police hadn’t “received any information regarding a specific criminal extremist threat to the City of Toronto.”

“A heightened vigilance in these areas for suspicious behaviour, including pre-incident indicators, may deter criminal and extremist activity,” the document also said.

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However, Toronto police said in an update Thursday afternoon the document was “never approved.”

“Our officers were provided with most up to date/accurate info this morning, as was public,” the Toronto Police Service announced through Twitter on Thursday.

“Our current policing response in the downtown core is appropriate based on the info we have.”

Normal police operations resumed Thursday night.

— With files from Catherine McDonald and David Shum