RCMP charges military members with trying to create 'anti-government militia' and seize land

Three men face a terrorism charge for allegedly planning to create an anti-government militia and seize land in Quebec, according to the RCMP.

In a news release Tuesday morning, the Mounties said the group was involved in an alleged ideologically motivated violent extremism plot "intending to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area" and included active members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Three men — Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, of Quebec City; Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville; and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, of Quebec City — have been charged with the serious offence of facilitating terrorist activities.

"The three accused were planning to create anti-government militia. To achieve this, they took part in military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises," the RCMP said.

"They also conducted a scouting operation."

The RCMP's release also said one of the accused allegedly created an Instagram account with the aim of recruiting new members to the anti-government militia.

A fourth individual, Matthew Forbes, 33, of Pont-Rouge, faces charges including possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives, and possession of controlled items.

The four accused are expected to appear on Tuesday at the Quebec City courthouse. 

RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Camille Habel said those who ascribe to ideologically motivated violent extremism often want to create a new society.

"A desire to live by different values and wanting to change or create some kind of chaos so they could take over society so they can live it the way that they want," she said.

The Mounties would not confirm which of the men are serving military members. The Canadian Armed Forces did not immediately respond to a request by CBC News for comment.

The RCMP said searches conducted in the Quebec City area, in January 2024, led to the seizure of 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories, approximately 11,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, nearly 130 magazines, four pairs of night-vision goggles and military equipment.

Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and a former analyst with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said it's the single largest cache of weapons and components in any terrorism incident in Canadian history.

"The amount of weapons and the amount of ammunition and the improvised explosive devices tells me that they were building up for something pretty significant," she said.

"They were either trying to recruit many more people so they were going to need that level of weapons and ammunition, or they were preparing for some kind of siege."

Habel said the RCMP's investigation began in the spring of 2023 and determined the alleged activity began in 2021.

Davis said that speaks to the complexity of national security investigations. She added that law enforcement would have been concerned about the men's capabilities with guns and tactics.

"Obviously, an active member of the Canadian military will have received weapons training," she said.

"Then there's a whole other level of complexity, too, possible networks, relationships in their units — all of these things really complicate those kinds of investigations." 

Armed Forces have struggled with extremist ties

The Canadian Armed Forces have been under pressure to better handle soldiers drawn to hateful views and extremism.

A 2022 report from the military's advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found the number of Canadian Armed Forces members belonging to extremist groups was on the rise.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, then chief of the defence staff, called the presence of members of extremist groups in the military disturbing.

In 2021, a U.S. judge sentenced former Manitoba army reservist Patrik Mathews to nine years in prison for charges related to what the FBI described as a neo-Nazi plot to instigate a race war in the United States.

A 2020 CBC News investigation of a Canadian Ranger unit uncovered how Erik Myggland, a British Columbia reservist who openly supported two far-right groups, was allowed to continue serving even after he had been identified by military counter-intelligence and interviewed as a potential threat.