The man arrested has not been named by the AFP, but authorities have confirmed he is a former Melbourne resident Kazem Hamad who was deported from Australia in 2023 and has been a key figure of interest in investigations into drug trafficking and violent organised crime.

The Crown also outlined the background of Gurkaran Singh, telling the court he arrived in Canada on a student visa less than a month before the killings and was expected to attend college in Dawson Creek, but never enrolled.

According to the Congressional Research Service, about 705 Somali nationals were enrolled in TPS last year, out of nearly 1.3 million people covered by the program across all countries.

A search of the property allegedly uncovered pepper spray and electronic devices, now undergoing forensic analysis.

Two suspects remain at large: 33-year-old Simran Preet Panesar of Brampton, believed to be in India, for whom a Canada-wide arrest warrant and extradition request have been issued; and 36-year-old Prasath Paramalingam of Brampton, who failed to appear in court in August 2024.

Virashi Chauhan, 39, Neeru Patel, 42, and Bhamini Karsan, 42, all died at the scene of the crash in the United Kingdom.

Swatting involves making false reports to emergency services to provoke a large-scale police or emergency response and is considered a serious criminal offence.

It is alleged he and another Perth man, aged 52, went out on a small boat on November 2 after discussing their plans via an encrypted messaging app.

Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan has said that the scale of the emergency has reached “an extraordinary” level of danger.

Federal authorities allege the pair are “criminal illegal aliens” from India and claim they were operating the semi-truck using Commercial Driver Licences issued by the state of California.