John Nuttall’s mother says her son would never, ever plant a bomb that would kill innocent people.
Nuttall, 38, and his partner, Amanda Marie Korody, 30, have been charged with attempting to explode three bombs filled with rusty nails near thousands of people attending Canada Day celebrations Monday at the B.C. legislature.
“Everyone who knows John knows he would never hurt innocent people,” his mother, Maureen Smith, said Friday. “If John truly did come to Victoria, [he and Korody] were coerced. They had no choice because they feared for their lives and it was all paid for by whoever set them up.”
During their last phone call on June 28, Nuttall was positive and happy, she recalled. He seemed fine and had been off drugs and alcohol for more than two years.
His last email to her, sent June 26, was more puzzling. “I need to tell you something,” Nuttall wrote.
Smith said she feels distraught and fearful for her son. She misses their weekly, hour-long phone calls and the interesting conversations they have. If she can, Smith will attend his next appearance in Surrey provincial court on Tuesday.
“I want him to know I’m proud of him because of everything about him. He’s a gentle, intelligent, talented person,” she said. “He shows incredible respect for me as his mother.”
Smith is also proud of Nuttall because, despite adversity, he earned a degree in computer science and design.
Nuttall is the son of Smith and Victoria economist Glen Nuttall. The couple met in Summerland in 1969 and were married for seven years, Smith said.
John Nuttall was born on Oct. 29, 1974, in New Westminster, when his father was studying at Simon Fraser. He was the sweetest, happy-go-lucky child until the divorce, Smith recalled. Both she and Nuttall remarried. John Nuttall has three half-brothers and two half-sisters.
At first, Smith and her son John lived with her mother, Lorene, while Smith attended university. Eventually, Nuttall lived just with his grandmother in Victoria, Sooke, Parksville and Rutland. As a youngster, Nuttall probably moved more than 20 times, Smith said.
There were good times. As a young boy, Nuttall camped and went to Disneyland. He visited Expo 86 13 times.
But there was also bad.
“He had no roots. Of course, he was troubled,” his mother said.
In his late 20s, Nuttall was struck by Guillain-Barré syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, which left him paralyzed for two years, Smith said.
Nuttall also earned a criminal record of assaults and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. At a sentencing hearing, Nuttall’s lawyer, Tom Morino, told the court his client’s life of crime centred around his addiction to drugs.
Smith was aware of her son’s addiction. In September 2010, Nuttall and Korody stayed with her in Vancouver. She kicked them out because they were doing drugs and drinking.
It led to Nuttall embracing the Muslim faith.
“They ended up on the street, panhandling and they ended up meeting these Muslim people who said ‘You can stay with us.’ These people started talking to them about Islam,” Smith said. “They liked what they saw. They liked everything about these people and their principles and their morals.”
Both Nuttall and Korody talked to her many times about how nice the Muslims were to them, Smith said.
“He knew lots and lots of people and disagreed with some of them. If they weren’t following the Qur’an exactly, he would get upset.”
But Nuttall did not have any deep-seated frustration, she said. He opposed the war in Afghanistan as many others did.
“John is a very serious-minded, passionate, caring person. He hates to see innocent people being killed.”
Nuttall, who had recently learned Arabic, was not capable of carrying out a terrorist bomb plot, Smith insisted.
“Absolutely, not. He had no money. He would never plant a bomb because too many innocent people would get hurt. … John talked about this for hours.”
The couple had income from disability payments, she said.
Smith suspects other people are involved in the alleged Canada Day bombing plot. Both Nuttall and Korody are easy targets, Smith said. “I can’t see him acting on his own.”
Korody had serious health problems and would have been unable to carry out something like this, Smith said. Korody is an excellent cook, and has studied acupuncture and enjoyed knitting.
“They both played video games for hours every day. They were addicted to online computer games and stayed home all the time.”
Smith received the news her son had been arrested from her mother Lorene, who had been living with the couple for six months, until May 8.
“I was absolutely numb. I knew this was going to happen. I was waiting for it to happen for six to eight months. I knew the cops were watching him because he had a criminal record and he became a Muslim.”
