Murray Wood: Riders' revenge, Putin optics, storm beauty
In this Friday "Who's Hot and Who's Not," Murray Wood looks at the Riders' shot at payback in Calgary, Trudeau...
MONTREAL — Newly released court documents show how police spent months tracking four men accused in an alleged anti-government plot in Quebec.
Police affidavits dating from January 2024 describe how members of a “pro-gun extremist militant group” allegedly bought firearms and participated in military-style training in Quebec and Ontario.
One of them also spoke publicly about the importance of being armed and not trusting the government, and warned about the possibility of another Waco siege.
In July, police arrested four members of the group in an alleged plan to forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City region. Simon Angers-Audet, 24; Raphaël Lagacé, 25; and Marc-Aurèle Chabot, 24, have been charged with facilitating a terrorist activity. They are also facing weapons charges alongside the fourth man, Matthew Forbes, 33. Chabot and Forbes are members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
The RCMP operation began in March 2023 following a tip from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the court documents reveal. A redacted letter from the intelligence agency states that Chabot was the leader of a group of current and former military members named Hide and Stalk.
The subsequent investigation, called Project Supion, involved heavy surveillance, including aerial and GPS tracking, informants, undercover agents and bank records.
The documents allege that Chabot was running an Instagram account called hide_n_stalk, which focused on military training, survivalism and long-range shooting. The account posted photos of group members holding long guns and dressed in military camouflage uniforms, wearing “HS” patches on their arms.
In May 2023, a group of 17 people, including members of Hide and Stalk, met at a hunting area near Quebec City called the ZEC Batiscan-Neilson, the affidavits say. Over three days, they practised military-style drills and shooting, with the RCMP monitoring them by aerial surveillance. Police later collected bullet casings at the site.
One photo of the training session posted to Instagram shows a member of the group making what the documents call a “white power” symbol with his hand.
The following month, a member of Hide and Stalk matching Chabot’s description gave more insight into the group’s ideology during an appearance on the podcast Modern Canadian Shooter, the affidavits claim. He spoke about forming a community to protect loved ones from government overreach, and accused political leaders of lying and being untrustworthy.
The documents say his views aligned with far-right or accelerationist ideology, which is described as “a belief held by white nationalists that accelerating the collapse of society through violence would lead to a white ethno-state.”
“A disarmed population is easy to control,” he said, according to excerpts in the court documents. “I’ve seen how government works and I don’t want to have more of it.”
He went on to warn against “coming after dudes that are prepared,” as it could lead to “another Waco” – presumably a reference to the deadly 1993 siege of a heavily armed religious cult in Texas.
In August 2023, the intelligence agency alerted the RCMP that Hide and Stalk was planning another training weekend near Rolphton, Ont. The documents allege that 17 people participated, including Chabot and Angers-Audet.
A third training session took place in September 2023 in a quarry outside Quebec City owned by Lagacé’s family, attended by all four of the accused, the affidavits say.
The documents also say an informant told police that Forbes was in possession of firearms and was involved in arms trafficking. A second informant told police that members of Hide and Stalk had automatic weapons and that a single member might have $30,000 to $40,000 worth of firearms and other equipment.
In September 2023, an undercover agent purchased night-vision goggles from Forbes.
The four accused allegedly conducted financial transactions worth more than $480,000 between January 2020 and June 2023, which the affidavits say were “disproportionate relative to their apparent financial situation.”
The investigation was ongoing in January 2024, when Lagacé’s ex-partner called 911 to report that he was in possession of illegal weapons and had made suicidal comments. In response, Quebec City police seized more than 50 firearms and ammunition from Lagacé.
Shortly after that, the RCMP filed the affidavits to apply for search warrants in connection with the four men. That led to the seizure of 16 explosive devices, about 11,000 rounds of ammunition and other weapons.
None of the allegations against the four men have been proven in court. Earlier this month, a judge denied bail for the three facing terrorism charges. Forbes was granted bail in July under a lengthy list of conditions that includes wearing a GPS tracking bracelet.
The accused are set to return to court on Sept. 12 for the next steps in their case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
