'Politically motivated crime' led to terrorism charges in Edmonton City Hall shooting

The Edmonton City Hall attack in January was a politically motivated crime, the RCMP said on Tuesday.

Bezhani Sarvar, 28, was charged with two terrorism offences on Monday in addition to nine provincial charges linked to the Edmonton City Hall attack.

In its investigation, the RCMP executed search warrants and analyzed electronics but said it cannot specify the evidence that supported terrorism charges.

"Our investigation ultimately determined that the actions of Mr. Sarvar were believed to be politically motivated and therefore reached the legal threshold required to support the terrorism charges that were ultimately laid," Supt. Glenn Sells, the officer in charge of the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), explained on Tuesday.

Sarvar is accused of firing shots inside city hall and throwing a Molotov cocktail. No one was injured.

Sells said police recovered an SKS assault-style rifle, three prohibited rifle magazines, approximately 150 rounds of ammunition and four gasoline-filled Molotov cocktails.

"This certainly highlights the risk posed to the public and the amount of damage that could've been done that day," the superintendent said.

On Monday, national security expert John Gilmour told CTV News Edmonton three thresholds need to be met for terrorism charges: motivation, intent and the act.

In a nearly five-minute video police say may be connected to the city hall shooting, a man wearing a security jacket talks about his mission and the issues he believes society is facing.

A criminal defence lawyer thinks that video could be enough to incriminate the accused.

"That's about as easy of a line or two for the police to hear which would lay a foundation for counselling to commit a terrorist offence," Ari Goldkind said.

CTV News Edmonton has been unable to confirm who posted the video.

City hall is still closed to the public.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny