Latest news with #Lagacé
10-07-2025
What we know (so far) about the plot to seize land in Quebec and the military men allegedly behind it
The RCMP made shocking allegations this week when they accused four men, including Canadian Armed Forces members, of amassing a trove of weapons and explosives as part of a scheme to take over land near Quebec's capital. Police called the plot an act of ideologically motivated violent extremism. National security experts say it's likely the first time that active members of the Canadian military have been charged with terrorism-related offences. The case is also unique due to the sheer scale of weapons and gear seized, and allegations some of the equipment was taken from the military. This is just the start of what could be a long journey through the courts. But here's what we know so far about the extremist plot and the men allegedly behind it. Who are the suspects? The accused are all relatively young men from Quebec, all with ties to the armed forces or cadets. Three of the four accused — Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, of Quebec City; Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville, Que; and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, also of Quebec City — have been charged with the serious offence of facilitating a terrorist activity. According to court documents, the alleged offence took place in Montreal, Quebec City, Petawawa, Ont., and Rolphton, Ont., between 2021 and 2024. If convicted, they face up to 14 years in prison. Lagacé, 25, is one of the men accused of facilitating a terrorist activity. Photo: Compte META - Raphael Lagacé The three also face a slew of charges related to the firearms, explosives and other gear the RCMP uncovered. The documents show Lagacé is accused of storing 50 firearms illegally. Matthew Forbes, 33, of Pont-Rouge, Que., faces charges including possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives, and possession of controlled items. He also faces charges related to the Explosives Act and Defence Production Act, which regulates access to military supplies. The Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal said in a statement Tuesday evening that Forbes and Chabot are serving members — both corporals based at CFB Valcartier. A colleague of Chabot's confirmed that he was serving last summer in the Vandoos, also known as the Royal 22nd Regiment. CBC News has agreed to withhold his identity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on Canadian Armed Forces matters. WATCH | Military members charged in alleged militia plot: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? The colleague expressed concerns about comments Chabot had made about the federal government and then prime minister Justin Trudeau. He described those comments as almost treasonous. The Canadian Armed Forces said one of the four accused was a former armed forces member, and the other a former civilian instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It did not provide names. But a Facebook account belonging to Lagacé is filled with photos of him in military-inspired gear posing with firearms and shows he was a decorated member of the cadet program. In 2019 he received an award from Jean-Marc Lanthier, then the vice-chief of the defence staff, after he performed CPR on his grandfather, according to a Facebook post. Lagacé used his social media page to rail against the Liberals' gun control legislation and posted a photo of a hat that says make Trudeau a drama teacher again. Angers-Audet's father told La Presse his son left the army during the COVID-19 pandemic and had a stroke after getting a vaccine. Philippe Audet told the French-language newspaper (new window) that his son and friends are being framed. What are they accused of planning? The quartet is accused of plotting to forcibly take possession of land near Quebec's capital. The plan, according to the RCMP, included building up an anti-government militia. Members of the group had allegedly already begun what the police described as military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises. A variety of firearms, some prohibited, as well as high-capacity magazines and tactical equipment were allegedly used in these activities, said the RCMP. Enlarge image (new window) In this provided photo, the RCMP says this is the 'military-style training in which the accused took part.' Photo: Gendarmerie Royale du Canada On Tuesday, the Mounties released a photo showing seven people taking part in those alleged exercises. They appear to be in a quarry or pit, wearing military-style fatigues. The RCMP said one the suspects is also accused of running an Instagram account intended to recruit members. The men had stockpiled a massive trove of weapons and equipment, according to their charge sheets. None of the allegations have been tested in court. Many details remain unknown about their alleged plan, but more will likely be revealed if the case moves to trial. What weapons were seized? One of the most eye-popping elements of the story is how much firepower and equipment was seized. The RCMP executed searches in January of last year, seizing 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories, approximately 11,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres and nearly 130 magazines. The court documents show a CZ Bren 2 MS rifle, a Glock 17 9-mm pistol, military smoke grenades, laser aiming devices and night-vision goggles were part of the haul. Enlarge image (new window) The RCMP said searches conducted in the Quebec City area led to the seizure of 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories, approximately 11,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, nearly 130 magazines and four pairs of night-vision goggles. Photo: RCMP Forbes is also charged with illegally sending a laser-sighting system to someone in Quebec City, France and the United States. The RCMP said in its news release some of the seized items were military equipment, but wouldn't confirm if that included weapons. Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence and a former analyst with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), said the seizure is the largest cache of weapons and components in any terrorism incident in Canadian history. What was the alleged motivation? It's not yet clear what allegedly motivated the suspects. Other than describing the men as wanting to create an anti-government militia, investigators have not commented on their political leanings. RCMP spokesperson Staff Sgt. Camille Habel did say those who ascribe to ideologically motivated violent extremism often want to form a new society, sometimes through violence. They'll often want to create some kind of chaos in order to live the way that they want, she said Tuesday. Habel said the RCMP's investigation began in the spring of 2023 and determined the alleged activity began in June 2021. Enlarge image (new window) The RCMP said this photo shows some of the seized military equipment. Photo: RCMP That would coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated lockdowns. At the time, intelligence agencies were warning of the rise in ideologically motivated extremism and how players were leveraging the pandemic to sow hateful narratives and divisive conspiracy theories. What happens next? The four men made brief virtual appearances in a Quebec City courthouse Tuesday, where Crown prosecutor Sara Moussa objected to their release. Their next court date is July 14. The four have not entered a plea yet and a bail hearing hasn't been scheduled. Catharine Tunney (new window) · CBC News · Reporter Catharine Tunney is a reporter with CBC's Parliament Hill bureau, where she covers national security and the RCMP. She worked previously for CBC in Nova Scotia. You can reach her at With files from Kate McKenna and Murray Brewster
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of facilitating terrorism used quarry outside Quebec City for target practice
One of the men accused of creating an anti-government militia appears to have used a commercial sand quarry in the Quebec City area as a makeshift firing range. CBC's visual investigations unit has geolocated images posted to Raphaël Lagacé's Facebook pages where he poses with multiple high-calibre sniper rifles. The images were taken at a quarry in Saint-Joachim, Que. The quarry is owned by Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé. It overlooks the St-Lawrence River and is just south of Mont-Sainte-Anne, a ski resort. In photos, Lagacé appears at the quarry with numerous rifles. Excavation equipment is visible in the background of some of the photos. Lagacé wears ear protection and lies prone, with his hands wrapped around the rifles, aiming at a target off-camera. In the photos and other videos that CBC News has verified as being filmed at the quarry complex, it is not clear if Lagacé is firing the weapons, but there are boxes of ammunition positioned near the weapons. In posts on his Instagram account, Lagacé said he was training for an "extreme long-range" shooting competition. In another video posted to Lagacé's Facebook in 2013, he does fire at a target located in a sandpit. CBC News was unable to verify if that video was taken at the same quarry. The force of the gunshot shakes the camera, and a man uses an expletive off-camera when the gun is fired. CBC does not know the context in which these photos and videos were filmed. Lagacé has been charged with facilitating terrorist activity. The RCMP allege he and three other men hoarded weapons, engaged in military-style training and intended to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area. An RCMP news release issued Tuesday included a photograph showing a group of men engaged in "military-style training" that was taken in a quarry. CBC News was unable to confirm if the quarry in the RCMP photo was located at the Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé location, but the company's sand quarry site is extensive. Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé declined requests for comment and declined to answer questions, including whether there is a familial connection between the company and Lagacé. A woman who answered the phone at Les Entreprises LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé said "no comment would be made. No response to any question." Yannick Lagacé, one of the shareholders of Béton Lagacé, said he would not comment. Here is how we found the exact location of Lagacé's social media posts: First, CBC reporters found, and confirmed, his social media profiles. Then, a scan of his Facebook feed revealed multiple images featuring LT Ltée/Béton Lagacé trucks and machinery. A search of the company's website revealed that they operated multiple quarries in the Quebec City area. We tried to see if any of these quarries matched the locations where Lagacé appeared to be handling his weapons. We knew from the photographs that we were looking for a sandy area and, in some photographs, background hills and a river were visible. One of the company's quarries was located on a hill, advertised on their website as having a vantage point over the north shore of the St-Lawrence River. Using Google Earth and satellite imagery, we scanned the quarry and matched the terrain features to the features behind Lagacé. Then, in another video posted to Lagacé's Facebook, we see a man handling a rifle. Again, we see features that seem to indicate a quarry. This time, the video is taken from a different angle, and, in the background, we see Mont-Sainte-Anne, the ski resort. Again, using Google Earth, we matched that same angle of the ski hill to the quarry. The four men appeared in court virtually on Tuesday and remain in custody. Their next court date is July 14.
Hamilton Spectator
08-07-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian Armed Forces members accused of forming ‘anti-government militia,' plotting to take land in Quebec
Four men, including two members of the Canadian Armed Forces, are facing charges for allegedly attempting to seize land near Quebec City — an act that authorities have described as extremism driven by anti-government beliefs. Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, of Quebec City, Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville, and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, of Quebec City, took concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity, the RCMP announced Tuesday. The men were planning to create an 'anti-government militia' by taking part in military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises, police said in a statement. They also conducted a scouting operation. The accused allegedly used high-capacity magazines, tactical equipment and various firearms in the activities — which police said took place in Quebec and Ontario. A fourth person, Matthew Forbes, 33, of Pont-Rouge, Que., faces charges that include possession of firearms, prohibited devices and explosives. Each of the accused was expected to appear in court in Quebec City on Tuesday. In an emailed statement, the Canadian Armed Forces said it was aware of the arrests and charges against two active members of the military. The RCMP seized several firearms during searches in January 2024. 'The Canadian Armed Forces is taking these allegations very seriously and has fully participated in the investigation' the statement said, directing further questions to the RCMP. A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Chabot shows he is friends with people that have the same name as Lagacé and Forbes. The account in Chabot's name lists him as working in the military. The profile in Lagacé's name says he worked in the firearms department at an outdoor equipment store in Quebec, while the account for Forbes displays a cover photo with a Canadian flag and what appears to be six military figures dressed in equipment and carrying firearms. According to RCMP Staff Sgt. Camille Habel, the individuals were driven by an extremist ideology that opposes authority and government, with the goal to establish their own independent land. Their exact motive is unclear, but generally speaking, 'the long term goal is to create your own society,' she told the Star. 'Some groups might want to make sure today's society falls, in order for theirs to rise. So what you would need, in that case, is a piece of land where you can start your new society, or have a place to meet.' The men are accused of using a private Instagram page to broadcast their military-style training and recruit members to the anti-government militia. The RCMP say one of the accused allegedly created and administered an Instagram account with the aim of recruiting new members to the anti-government militia. 'They were trying to recruit people who had knowledge and ability to use guns,' RCMP Cpl. Erique Gasse said. The page is still active, but authorities were working to shut it down 'as soon as possible,' he said. The investigation into the suspects began in March 2023, thanks to a tip received by officers with the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. In January 2024, police executed searches at multiple addresses in the Quebec City area, including at some residences, that led to the seizure of 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories. Police seized 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms and accessories, plus 11,000 rounds of ammunition in their searches. Approximately 11,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, nearly 130 magazines, four pairs of night vision goggles and military equipment were also seized. The charges against the four men were not laid until Tuesday. None of the allegations have been tested in court. The lengthy duration from the beginning of the probe to the filing of charges was due to the investigation's complex nature, Habel said, emphasizing that authorities needed to proceed with caution before bringing forth terrorism charges. The four accused were being monitored after the search warrants were executed last year, she said. 'If for some reason, something happened, or if there was a sign that public safety was at risk, we would have done whatever was needed to be done to deal with that threat.'
