New details emerging from an informant in the Quebec City terrorism case suggest that the accused individuals were preparing for a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. The informant, a former member of the alleged anti-government Instagram group Hide & Stalk comprised of military personnel, shared this information as part of an ongoing court case.
The revelations were disclosed in an Information to Obtain (ITO) document submitted by law enforcement to secure a search warrant. It’s important to note that these claims and sources have yet to undergo court scrutiny.
A publication ban on the identity of the informant and the details he provided to the police was lifted recently. The individual voluntarily cooperated with investigators during a three-day interview. For now, the former member remains uncharged.
In July, the RCMP arrested four men with military backgrounds in Quebec on charges related to planning a violent plot to seize land in the Quebec City region for ideological reasons. In addition to weapon offenses, Marc-Aurèle Chabot, Simon Angers-Audet, and Raphaël Lagacé face serious charges of aiding terrorist activities.
According to the informant, who was once part of the group, each member had a designated role determined by Chabot, the alleged leader. The informant claimed that Chabot tasked him with sharing his combat engineering expertise, including knowledge of explosives, which he declined. Instead, he managed radio communications with one of the accused, Lagacé.
During training sessions, the informant alleged witnessing discriminatory behavior towards Jewish individuals and derogatory remarks about gender equality and women made by Chabot. Chabot purportedly expressed concerns about an impending economic crisis and believed in an imminent foreign threat leading to a zombie apocalypse.
The alleged plan involved seeking refuge in the Zec Batiscan-Neilson wilderness area near Quebec City, with intentions to forcefully occupy and control the territory with their families.
The informant revealed that he observed military equipment, such as smoke grenades from the Canadian Armed Forces, being utilized during group training sessions in 2022 and 2023. Despite distancing himself from the group in May 2023, Chabot allegedly tried to recruit him back later that year, which the informant resisted.
Communication within Hide & Stalk allegedly occurred through various platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, Signal, and Telegram. The former member handed over a USB drive containing photos and videos featuring the accused to the authorities during his interview.
As the legal process unfolds, Angers-Audet, Lagacé, and Chabot remain in custody awaiting trial, while a fourth individual, Matthew Forbes, faces charges related to firearms and explosives and has been granted bail under strict conditions, including wearing a GPS tracking device.