Canada Cops Arrest US Woman in Shooting Plot

Police in Canada say they've foiled what could have been a Valentine's Day massacre, and a 23-year-old woman from the Chicago area is among those arrested. Authorities say the woman—identified only as being from Geneva, Illinois—planned to go to a mall in Halifax today with a Canadian male and launch the mass killing, reports AP. Instead, police got a tip via Crime Stoppers yesterday and quickly surrounded the suburban home of the alleged co-conspirator, a 19-year-old male. He fatally shot himself as police moved in, reports the CBC. The woman was arrested upon arrival at the Halifax airport. Two other Canadian men, ages 20 and 17, also are in custody, though their roles in the alleged plot are unclear.

"This appeared to be a group of murderous misfits that were coming here, or were living here, and prepared to wreak havoc and mayhem on our community," says Canadian Justice Minister Peter MacKay. "It would have been devastating. Mass casualties were a real possibility." Another police official in Nova Scotia says he wouldn't describe it as a "terrorist" plot. "I would classify it as a group of individuals that had some beliefs and were willing to carry out violent acts against citizens." The AP quotes an anonymous police official who says the four were obsessed with death and mass killings. (More Canada stories.)