Ottawa man facing charges for allegedly being linked to neo-Nazi organization
Posted July 5, 2023 4:26 pm.
Last Updated July 5, 2023 4:58 pm.
A man from Ottawa is facing charges for allegedly being linked to a neo-Nazi terrorist organization.
On the morning of Wednesday, July 5, an RCMP tactical unit conducted a police operation in Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
The Mounties confirmed to CityNews Ottawa that the arrest is linked to a three-year investigation by the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) which has been looking into the terrorist group known as Atomwaffen Division. The group is known for its links to neo-Nazi ideology.
Patrick MacDonald, 26, was arrested and is facing charges of participating in a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, and willful promotion of hatred.
RCMP inspector David Beaudoin, head of INSET in Quebec said that this is also the first time the RCMP has addressed the creation of propaganda for terrorist groups with such serious charges.
“The propaganda itself was central to the capacity of the group to actually recruit and spread its ideology. So it’s the first time that we actually addressed the propaganda with such serious charges,” said Beaudoin.
MacDonald was a graphic designer and used those skills to produce propaganda materials for the terrorist group.
He was expected to appear in an Ottawa courtroom sometime on Wednesday, June 5.
On the same day, another person was also arrested relating to the investigation. This person has not been publicly named by the RCMP and is not yet facing charges. They were taken into custody in Kingsey Falls, a town outside of Drummondville, Quebec.
The RCMP said this is the first case in Canada where someone allegedly advocating a violent, far-right ideology has been charged under Canada’s Terrorism Law with both terrorism and hate propaganda charges.
