Trudeau took'unprecedented' step by wearingbulletproof vest: RCMP sources

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau took an"unprecedented" step bywearinga bulletproof vestat a campaign rally in response to a security threat, say two veteranRCMPsources.

The sources, who are familiar with the operations of the prime minister's personal security detail, toldCBCNewsthey've seen leaders wear body armour inother countries, but not Canada.

It's also unprecedentedto have a heavily armed tactical team in plain sight aroundTrudeau,they said.Normally those highly trained RCMP membersare covert, not out in the open at campaign events, thesources said.

On Saturday, Trudeau's scheduled appearance at a rally of 2,000 supportersin Mississauga was delayed by 90 minutes and featured a much heavier security detail once hetook thestage.

Surrounded Trudeau

Uniformed tactical officerswearingknapsacks, as well as officers in plainclothes, surrounded him as he addressed the crowd.Some of the plainclothes officers were from Trudeau's protective detail, while others were from the VIP protective policing unit.

CBCNews sources confirmed that at the Mississauga rally,Trudeau wore abulletproof vest also known as soft bodyarmour and thatthe beefed-up protectionwas a result of asecurity threat. The details of that threat have not been revealed.

The uniformed men were withtheRCMP'sEmergency Response Team, which is usually at Trudeau's events, but kept out of sight. They are trained to resolve extremely high-risk situations that are potentially violent and often dynamic in nature, according to the RCMP's website. Along with VIP and witness protection duties, the team resolves incidents where people are armed and barricaded in a building.

Knapsacks held weapons

The knapsacks they carriedheld firearms,according to RCMP sources.As well, oneofficer wore a ballisticshieldon his backthatlooks like a rolled up mat. This shieldcan be used to cover Trudeau, making him a more difficult target for an attacker. But the shieldcan also be used to stop bullets.

RCMPsources toldCBCNews that police conduct threat assessments for all events that political leaders attend. When a leader faces a serious security threat,the protective detail will then sit down with the leader to discuss how theRCMPwant to move forward. They all will then negotiate a plan.

If theleader, for example, still wantedto attend an event despite a high threat level, theRCMPwould have to add additional safety measures.

The delay Saturday nightmay have been connected to thenegotiations andimplementation of the plan. Also, the fact that Trudeau was late going on stage, signals the threatlikelycame late in the day. Otherwise, it would have been already factored into the operations plan,the RCMP sources said.

Speaking about the incident to reporters ata food drive event in Torontoon Sunday, Trudeau refused to offer any specifics about the threat, saying only that his first concern was for the safety of hisfamily and forall thoseat the Mississauga event.

"I took advice from theRCMP, worked with them," he said.

On the sidelines

Trudeau was not wearing a bulletproof vest today, but tactical officers were seen on the sidelines.

In a statement to CBC News, theRCMPsaid it "does not comment on security measures afforded to the prime minister."

Last month, sources told CBC News the RCMPwere compiling daily threat reports on online hate targeting political leaders during the campaign leading up to the Oct. 21 election, fearing it could spill over into real-world violence.

Meanwhile, there hasbeen an increase in online posts condoning violence during thecampaign, according to government sources close to the file.RCMPofficials have been chasing down credible threats in a variety of ways includingsurveillance, phone calls and knocking on doors, according to RCMP sources.