The three each face one count of facilitating terrorism and are also charged with illegal possession of different quantities of guns and military gear.The Canadian Press
Three men who face terrorism charges over allegations that they plotted to take over land near Quebec City were denied bail at a court hearing on Wednesday.
Corporal Marc-Aurèle Chabot and Raphaël Lagacé of Quebec City, along with Simon Angers-Audet from nearby Neuville, Que., were arrested last month. Each face one count of facilitating terrorism.
The three were also each charged with illegal possession of different quantities of guns and military gear. Police said those charges relate to 58 firearms and 70 high-capacity magazines, as well as military smoke grenades, laser aiming devices and night-vision goggles.
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Quebec Court Judge René de la Sablonnière heard evidence and arguments in July and delivered the hour-long ruling on Wednesday in a Quebec City courtroom.
A fourth person, Corporal Matthew Forbes, of Pont-Rouge, Que., was granted bail on July 14 under a lengthy list of conditions that include wearing a GPS-tracking bracelet. He faces multiple weapons charges.
There is a publication ban on details of the bail hearing as well as the judge’s reasons for ordering the men held pending trial. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
Cpl. Chabot, 24, served at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier until his arrest last month, while Mr. Lagacé, 25, is a former Royal Canadian Air Cadets civilian instructor. Mr. Angers-Audet, 24, is a former member of the military, the Canadian Forces previously confirmed. Cpl. Forbes, 33, also served at CFB Valcartier at the time of his arrest.
The RCMP alleged in a statement published on July 8 that the men were planning to create an anti-government militia. “To achieve this, they took part in military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises. They also conducted a scouting operation,” the force said.
They said the three were “allegedly involved in activities intending to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area.”
According to court documents, the alleged terrorism-facilitation scheme took place between 2021 and 2024 in Quebec City, Montreal and in Ontario, in Petawawa and Rolphton.
The Mounties allege that the accused were motivated by an extremist anti-authority, anti-government ideology to set up an independent territory. They say one of the accused, whom they have not publicly identified, allegedly ran an Instagram account with the goal of recruiting new members into the militia.
According to court documents, the charges against Cpl. Forbes include unauthorized possession of firearms, along with accusations that he procured for others two American-made night-vision devices and a laser aiming pointer.
Experts who previously spoke with The Globe and Mail said the night-vision devices are highly restricted and generally inaccessible to individuals in Canada.
Police carried out search warrant raids related to the alleged conspiracy in January, 2024.
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The investigation required more than 100 judicial authorizations, a Crown attorney said during a court hearing last month.
A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, Nick Drescher Brown, has said that Cpl. Chabot and Cpl. Forbes did not “have unescorted access” to CFB Valcartier and that they had not been performing military duties prior to their arrests.
In an interview with The Globe last week, the commander of the Canadian army, Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, said extremism is a problem that hurts the Forces’ credibility.
He compared extremists to insects, saying, “Regardless of the number of events, we need to take whatever action we can to make sure they never get into the house.”
A 2022 report commissioned by the federal government found that membership in extremist groups within the DND and the Canadian Forces was “growing” and “increasingly covert,” while technological advances made it more difficult to detect radicalized members.
The report was written by an advisory panel assembled by the minister of national defence at the time, Anita Anand, to examine systemic racism and discrimination.
“The suspected presence of members of extremist groups within DND/CAF is a pressing moral, social and operational issue,” the panel concluded.
With reports from The Canadian Press