Corey Hurren had multiple firearms, uttered threat against Trudeau, court documents allege
The Canadian Armed Forces member facing a long list of charges after breaching the grounds at Rideau Hall last week allegedly had multiple firearms in his possession at the time, and is accused of uttering a threat against the prime minister, according to recently filed court documents.
Corey Hurren, 46, was charged with 22 criminal charges on Friday — a day after he allegedly drove a truck onto the official residence grounds and set out on foot toward the prime minister's home.
According to information sworn by an RCMP officer, Hurren allegedly had the following loaded firearms with him:
An M14 rifle.
A Hi-Standard revolver, a restricted firearm for which Hurren allegedly did not have a licence.
A Lakefield Mossberg shotgun.
A Dominion Arms Grizzly shotgun.
Hurren also allegedly had a prohibited high-capacity magazine.
He's also accused of uttering a threat or conveying a threat to "cause death or bodily harm" to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to the court document.
Most of the 22 charges are firearm-related; they include careless use of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm and unauthorized possession in a motor vehicle.
Police say Hurren, a Manitoba resident who serves as a Canadian Ranger, drove his truck through the pedestrian gate at 1 Sussex Drive at around 6:30 a.m. ET Thursday morning and then headed toward the ground's greenhouse on foot with what appeared to be a firearm.
Police say officers made visual contact with him about 13 minutes later and tried talking to him soon after. Hurren responded at 6:53, according to the RCMP, and was arrested almost 90 minutes later.
While the charge details provide more information about what Hurren allegedly had in his possession, questions about his actions linger.
RCMP's national security team investigating
A source told CBC News on Thursday that the suspect had a note with him when he drove from Manitoba to Ottawa; the RCMP did not answer questions about the note during a Friday morning briefing, citing the ongoing investigation.
During that briefing, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Mike Duheme was asked if police knew Hurren's motivation. Duheme said "yes" but would not go into details.
Hurren ran a business called GrindHouse Fine Foods, which makes meat products. In a Facebook post he reported that the novel coronavirus pandemic had taken a toll on his business.
Roughly an hour before Hurren entered the Rideau Hall grounds, a Facebook page associated with his business posted a meme that directs people to look up "Event 201" — a worldwide pandemic preparedness exercise run last year that conspiracy theorists now use to suggest Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is behind the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hurren remains in custody and his next court appearance is July 17.
The RCMP's integrated national security team, INSET, is leading the investigation. INSET, according to Public Safety Canada's website, was created to "track, deter, disrupt and prevent criminal activities of terrorist groups or individuals who pose a threat to Canada's national security."
The RCMP said it has bolstered security on the grounds at Rideau Hall since the incident and will conduct a review of security arrangements there.
