Preliminary inquiry adjourned until July 23 in Halifax mall plot case

HALIFAX – A second day of testimony has ended at the preliminary inquiry for two people accused of plotting to attack a Halifax shopping mall.

Twenty-three-year-old Lindsay Kantha Souvannarath of Geneva, Ill., and 21-year-old Randall Steven Shepherd of Halifax are each charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, illegal possession of dangerous weapons and making a threat through social media.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

The inquiry, which is subject to a publication ban that prohibits reporting what is heard in Halifax provincial court, will resume on July 23.

Both defence lawyers have said outside court there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

The Crown alleges the two accused, along with a 19-year-old man found dead in his Halifax home, had planned to attack the Halifax Shopping Centre on Valentine’s Day.