Four men, including two active Canadian Armed Forces members, face charges related to an alleged plot to form an anti-government militia and forcibly seize land near Quebec City, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Monday.
The accused have been identified as Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, and Raphaël Lagacé, 25, both of Quebec City; Simon Angers-Audet, 24, of Neuville; and Matthew Forbes, 33, of Pont-Rouge.
According to Canadian forces, Chabot and Forbes are currently serving at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Valcartier. Lagacé is a former civilian instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, while Angers-Audet is a former member of the Canadian military.
The RCMP said in a statement that the men were planning to form 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.”
Chabot, Lagacé, and Angers-Audet have each been charged with one count of facilitating terrorism. All three also face charges related to the illegal possession of firearms and military equipment.
Forbes faces multiple explosives and firearms charges, including possession of weapons he allegedly obtained from the United States and France.
The arrests follow ongoing concerns about extremism in the military. A 2022 report from the Canadian Armed Forces’ advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination warned of increasing ties between service members and extremist groups.
