Ottawa police say arrest made in home invasion involving 101-year-old D-Day vet

OTTAWA – The Prime Minister is praising police in Ottawa for swiftly making an arrest in connection with a home invasion that saw a 101-year-old veteran of D-Day tied up and robbed.

Stephen Harper tweeted a thank you Saturday afternoon to police for “their swift work” as well as to members of the public who provided tips that led to the arrest.

Police say a 59-year-old suspect was arrested Friday night after investigators received a tip earlier that day.

The suspect faces a string of charges including attempted murder, robbery with violence, forcible confinement, break and enter and using a credit card obtained by crime.

Police say a man posing as a city employee forced his way into the veteran’s condo on Thursday morning before making off with undisclosed items.

Police have not identified the victim, but Harper and Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino have said he is Ernest Cote, one of the Canadian soldiers who landed on Juno Beach on June 6,1944.

Fantino, a former police officer, took to Twitter on Saturday to thank investigators for making an arrest in connection with “such a despicable crime.”

In a statement released on Thursday Fantino said he travelled with Cote earlier this year to attend D-Day anniversary services and was honoured to know him.

The accused appeared in court Saturday but police weren’t identifying him because they are actively investigating several leads from the public that came in after images of the suspect were released, Staff Sgt. Michael Haarbosch said Saturday.

The case, which has drawn national attention and outrage online, spurred up to 10 additional tips, Haarbosch said.

“There were other tips from the public and each and every one of those has to be followed up on,” he said.

“The investigation… at this point, even though charges have been laid, is still in the early stages and there’s a lot of work to be done still.”