HALIFAX—Nova Scotia’s RCMP say an alleged plan by at least two suspects to carry out “mass killings” of civilians in a public place in the Halifax-area on Valentine’s Day has been foiled.

Asst. Commissioner Brian Brennan says a man who was found dead in a Halifax-area home early Friday intended to go to a public place with a woman and open fire on citizens before killing themselves.

Police received information from the public on Thursday morning of a potential significant weapons-related threat. The information suggested a 19-year-old Halifax-area man and a 23-year old woman from Geneva, Ill., had access to firearms, Brennan said.

“We received a threat that individuals were planning on targeting a public venue in Halifax, to go there and commit mass killings of civilians and to ultimately kill themselves,” Brennan said in a phone interview Friday night.

“Given the public venue that we believe was to be targeted, there was the potential for significant casualties and injury to citizens.”

Brennan would not say which venue was being targeted.

He says two other male suspects, ages 20 and 17, were also involved, although he says investigators were still trying to determine what their role was.

Brennan said firearms have been seized, although he could not say what kind, how many, or where the weapons were seized.

“The weapons seized had the ability to inflict a lot of casualties if used in a populated area,” said Brennan.

Police say they found the 19-year-old man dead at a home in the Halifax-area around 1:20 a.m. Friday.

Brennan would not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding his death, saying the issue has been referred to the province’s Serious Incident Response Team, which reviews all serious incidents involving police in the province.

He said the 20-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were arrested around 2 a.m. at the Halifax airport. Brennan said the woman was arriving on a plane and the man was there to meet her.

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The 17-year-old boy was arrested around 11 a.m. in the Halifax area, he said. Brennan said all three suspects remain in police custody and there’s no word on charges.

Brennan would not characterize the alleged plot as terrorism, saying the views of the individuals “were not based in religion or culture.”

He added that he’s “extremely confident” that all participants in the incident have been arrested.

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