Active members of the Canadian Armed Forces are among four people facing terrorism charges in Quebec for allegedly plotting an anti-government militia.
At least three of the four are accused of taking “concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity,” including a plot “to forcibly take possession of land in the Québec City area,” according to the RCMP. The alleged target was not specified.
“They took part in military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival, and navigation exercises. They also conducted a scouting operation. A variety of firearms, some prohibited, as well as high-capacity magazines and tactical equipment were allegedly used in these activities,” the RCMP said in a written release Tuesday morning.
Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, of Québec City, Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, of Québec City, face a charge of knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity, with a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Matthew Forbes, 33, of Pont-Rouge, faces charges including possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives, and possession of controlled items. Forbes faces charges under the Defence Production Act, that regulates military procurement and access to military or national security goods, suggesting some of the weapons or equipment involved were sourced from Canada’s Department of national Defence.
The RCMP deems it a case of ideologically motivated violent extremism.
The investigation has stretched more than a year and includes searches in the Quebec City area in January 2024 in which 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories, about 11,000 rounds of ammunition, nearly 130 magazines, four pairs of night vision goggles and military equipment were seized, the RCMP said. Among the weapons seized were military-style assault rifles.
Photos released by the RCMP show a group of seven people in military camouflage armed with rifles in an apparent shooting and tactics training exercise in what looks like a rock quarry.
One of the accused allegedly created and administered an Instagram account to recruit new members to the anti-government militia. The Instagram account featured photos of people in combat fatigues and guns outdoors, some of the scenes are in winter, surrounded by snow, others in summer or fall in woods, and at least one appears to be inside a vehicle.
Other charges against the accused in this case include the possession of prohibited devices, transfer of firearms and ammunition, careless storage of firearms, possession of explosives and possession of controlled items.
The investigation was led by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), considered a top-tier response to fighting domestic extremism and terrorism. INSET units are led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but are made up of officers from multiple law enforcement agencies who are specially trained.
The RCMP describes the mission of INSET as tracking, deterring, disrupting and preventing criminal activities of terrorist groups or individuals who pose a threat to Canada’s national security.
The four charged are scheduled to appear today in court in Québec City. None of the allegations have yet been proven.
The RCMP refused to specify which of the accused are active Canadian soldiers but it seems it includes the three younger men facing the terrorism-related charges, at least one of which has his occupation listed on a Facebook profile as a Canadian Armed Forces member.
The RCMP nor the Canadian Forces have responded to requests for more information.
The federal government previously said Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (IMVE) “draws from a complex range of grievances and ideas from across the traditional ‘left-right’ ideological spectrum.”
Canada’s national security and intelligence community focusses on four subcategories of IMVE: xenophobic violence, anti-authority violence, gender-driven violence, and other grievance-driven and ideologically motivated violence.
While Canada’s armed forces have fought against terror groups and are a part of Canada’s national security at home and abroad, a few Canadian soldiers have previously been linked to extremist violence and terror plots.
Former army reservist master corporal, Patrik Mathews, of Beausejour, Man., was sentenced in 2021 in the United States for his role in what the FBI calls a plot to trigger a “race war” in the United States alongside a white supremacist group called The Base. His co-defendant, U.S. army veteran.
In 2020, Corey Hurren, a serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces, carrying four guns and anger over the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictive measures, rammed his pick-up truck through the gates of Rideau Hall where Justin Trudeau, prime minister at the time, was living. He said he wanted to arrest Trudeau but was arrested.
Toronto’s Steven Chand was a former Canadian soldier convicted in the al-Qaida inspired Toronto 18 terror plot in 2006.
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