Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the “unprecedented” step of wearing a bulletproof vest at a recent campaign event after he received an unspecified threat.
Trudeau, 47, was seen during a Saturday appearance in Mississauga, Ontario, flanked by an armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police tactical team. The event was filled with about 2,000 supporters of the liberal leader.
Sources familiar with Trudeau’s security called the precautions “unprecedented.” Normally the security units protecting the prime minister are also hidden around him in the crowd and not in plain sight, as was the case Saturday.
The officers were seen wearing knapsacks containing firearms. One officer also wore a ballistic shield on his back to cover Trudeau in case he would have been attacked.
Trudeau was 90 minutes late to the rally, a delay that might have been connected to the threat and increased security measures, though details of the threat have not been released to the public.
“I took advice from the RCMP, worked with them,” Trudeau said of the threat after the event.
Trudeau has recently been in campaign mode, gearing up for the Oct. 21 elections.
