Souvannarath and Shepherd are facing charges including conspiracy to commit murder and arson, as well as unlawful communication of threat

Police will not say who provided information that led to foiling of 'plot'

Gamble's friends have also speculated he gave tip before killing himself

At funeral service on Saturday, Pastor Michael Cody referred to teen as a 'wonderful young gentleman' who helped avert tragedy via 'good deed'

But now, it has been implied that he was the 'anonymous person' who called Crimestoppers anonymously last Thursday, likely saving lives

The teenage boy who committed suicide after an alleged plot to carry out a massacre at a Canadian mall on Valentine's Day was foiled was the source who tipped off police, it has been suggested.

James Gamble, 19, reportedly shot himself as armed officers surrounded his home in Timberlea, Halifax, last Friday following a tip-off about a planned mass shooting at Halifax Shopping Centre.

He is alleged to have been involved in the plot - which was thwarted by police at the last minute - alongside Lindsay Souvannarath, 23, from Illinois, and Randall Shepherd, 20, from Nova Scotia.

But now, it has been implied that Gamble was the 'anonymous person' who alerted Halifax Police Department to the 'murderous scheme' via Crimestoppers last Thursday, likely saving many lives.

Scroll down for video

Source? James Gamble (pictured), who committed suicide after an alleged plot to carry out a massacre at a Canadian mall on Valentine's Day was foiled, was the source who tipped off police, it has been suggested

Linked to 'plot': The 19-year-old (pictured, left and right, in online images) reportedly shot himself as armed officers surrounded his home in Timberlea, Halifax, last Friday following a tip-off about the 'mass shooting'

At his funeral on Saturday, Pastor Michael Cody, Gamble's uncle, referred to the teenager as a 'wonderful young gentleman' who helped to avert a tragedy by doing a 'good deed'.

'Take comfort in the fact Jamie overcame evil,' Mr Cody told friends and family at a funeral home in Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia. 'He overcame evil by doing the good deed that he did.'

He added: 'Take comfort in the fact that you know Jamie made a decision. Because of what he decided to do, so many lives are saved today... Jamie sided with good and he defeated evil.

'Jamie laid down his life to save his brothers…Take resolve in the fact that you know that Jamie loved everybody so much that he was prepared to end what could have been a tragedy.'

Although police have not confirmed who gave the tip that led to the unraveling of the alleged plot, many of Gamble's friends have speculated it was the boy himself who provided the information.

When police eventually stormed Gamble's parents' home in Tiger Maple Drive - where the teenager committed suicide - they discovered three long-barreled guns on the premises, CBC reported.

Scene: At his funeral on Saturday, Pastor Michael Cody, Gamble's uncle, referred to the teenager (who killed himself at his parents' house, pictured) as a 'wonderful young gentleman' who helped to avert a tragedy

Suicide: 'Take comfort in the fact Jamie overcame evil,' Mr Cody told friends and family at a funeral home in Upper Tantallon. 'He overcame evil by doing the good deed that he did.' Above, Gamble's parents' home

Charged: Although police have not confirmed who gave the tip that led to the unraveling of the alleged plot, many of Gamble's friends have speculated it was the boy himself. Above, Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath (left, in her high school yearbook photo) and Randall Shepherd, 20, have been charged in connection with the 'plot'

'There were three long-barrelled rifles seized during the investigation and all three were seized at the residence,' Nova Scotia RCMP Commanding Officer Brian Brennan told reporters last week.

During the service, photos of Gamble were scattered around The Ronald A. Walker Funeral Home. They showed the teenager as a chubby toddler, and as a child half-buried in sand at the beach.

Reverend Reg Harrison described Gamble as 'a wonderful young gentleman in every sense of the word' and recalled various happy moments from the boy's life, The Chronicle Herald reported.

The teenager's family reportedly asked for donations to be made in his name to animal shelters.

It comes just four days after petite, dark-haired Souvannarath and Shepherd, who has shoulder-length blond hair, appeared in court over their alleged plans for a Columbine-like shooting spree.

In court: It comes just four days after petite, dark-haired Souvannarath (pictured) and Shepherd, who has shoulder-length blond hair, appeared in court over their alleged plans for a Columbine-like shooting spree

The pair did not speak as they were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and arson as well as unlawful communication of a threat 'through social media' to cause harm or death. Above, Shepherd

The pair did not speak as they were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and arson as well as unlawful communication of a threat 'through social media' to cause harm or death.

They were arrested at Halifax Airport last Friday after police received the tip about their plot 'to go to a public venue in the Halifax region on February 14th with a goal of opening fire to kill citizens'.

Take comfort in the fact that you know Jamie made a decision. Because of what he decided to do, so many lives are saved today... Jamie sided with good and he defeated evil Pastor Michael Cody

Shepherd and Gamble, who were childhood friends, apparently met Souvannarath online. The woman later traveled to the airport to meet Shepherd, where she was detained by officers.

All three suspects admired the teenagers who killed 12 students and a teacher during a high school shooting spree in 1999 in Columbine, Colorado, according to media reports on their backgrounds.

Shauna MacDonald, prosecuting, said outside court that the conspiracy charges stem from the fact that while no act was committed, there had been an agreement to commit the crimes.

'The burden in any criminal charge for the police is reasonable grounds to believe an offence has been committed,' she said. 'The basis of conspiracy is an agreement, so it can be a conversation.'

During Tuesday's hearing, Shepherd and Souvannarath were also charged with weapons offences. Although they did not seek bail but Ms MacDonald said they may do so in a future hearing.

The suspects were both represented by the same duty counsel, but the prosecutor said she expected they would seek their own lawyer or lawyers in the coming days.

Intended target: Shepherd and Souvannarath were arrested at Halifax Airport last Friday after police received the tip about their plot to go to Halifax Shopping Centre (pictured) 'with a goal of opening fire to kill citizens'

Chilling: Souvannarath shared these selfies to Facebook, including one wearing a skull mask, right, online

Over the past week, blogs and a Facebook profile linked to Souvannarath have emerged. They feature images of death, Nazism and the chilling phrase: 'Valentine's Day It's going down.'

College Professor Charles Aukema has also spoken of her former student.

'She knew how to put together a sentence and she had a command of detail. Sometimes, it was pretty sick detail,' Ms Aukema, who taught Souvannarath in 2012, told the Chicago Tribune.

'It's like a method actor trying to get into the mindset of a killer and then becomes a serial killer. I thought she was quite an introvert. It just seemed like she had no friends whatsoever.'

Souvannarath and Shepherd will appear back in court on March 6.