Jury hears accused at Coutts blockade surprised by murder-conspiracy charge

A protester arrested at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., appeared surprised when police told him he was being charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

A video statement from Anthony Olienick after his arrest on Feb. 14, 2022, was played at a jury trial Monday.

The officer informed him that he was being charged with mischief over $5,000, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, the obstruction of critical infrastructure and conspiracy to commit murder.

"Conspiracy to commit murder ... it just means that you, along with at least one other person, had planned murders of the RCMP," says Cpl. Andrew Olfert.

"It just means that you, along with at least one other person, had planned murders of the RCMP."

"No way," Olienick replied.

"Tell me what that means to you," the officer said.

"I don't know. It seems really bizarre. Just protesting for freedom to parking trucks," Olienick said.

Olienick and co-accused Chris Carbert are charged with conspiring to kill Mounties at the blockade, which paralyzed traffic for two weeks at the busy Canada-U.S. border crossing.

The blockade was one of several protests held across the country over COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.

Accused says he didn't threaten anybody

The men were arrested after Mounties found a cache of guns, body armour and ammunition in trailers in Coutts.

Undercover officers previously testified that Olienick considered the blockade a war, and he expressed a hatred of police and a desire to kill officers.

Later in the video, Olienick blames the federal government for twisting the blockade out of proportion.

"I think a lot of the words get put into people's mouths. The government wants to make all of this peacefulness look evil," Olienick says.

"There wasn't a single act of any violence there. I don't think we're the fringe minority. That's for sure."

Olfert asks Olienick if there's any reason why investigators would charge him with conspiracy to commit murder.

"I didn't threaten anybody face-to-face, you know what I mean?" Olienick says.

"I don't know anybody that I would purposely say that to. I don't like [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau. I'd like to see him hang. He needs to be tried for treason... And if proven guilty, like we know he is, hang him."

Olienick says in the video that there's lots of angry talk at the blockade about Trudeau and the federal Liberal government.

"Everybody's having those conversations," Olienick says.

"Maybe about killing the RCMP?" Olfert asks.

"No. Not the RCMP, because it's not you guys. It's the facilitators that are puppet-mastering you guys. That's why we need you guys to stand with us. It's as simple as that."

Trial to resume Wednesday

In the video, Olienick is sitting in an interview room alone for a long period of time.

His lawyer refused to allow the prosecution to skip ahead to when the interview would restart.

"I think that it's important it be played so the jury can experience it like Mr. Olienick did," said Marilyn Burns.

Justice David Labrenz instructed the five-man, nine-woman jury before the video was played that they must not read too much into the belief systems or world views expressed by the two men when considering the video as evidence.

"You should never, in the course of this matter, infer from evidence of character or disposition that either accused is more likely to have committed the offences charged as against them," he said.

"Neither accused is on trial for their belief systems or their ideas about the world or their views with respect to world order. They're only on trial with respect to the charges on the indictment."

In the video, Olienick tells the officer that he wants to continue the fight.

"I wish I was still there. I need freedom."

Olienick and Carbert are also charged with mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Olienick faces a further charge of being in possession of a pipe bomb.

The trial is set to resume Wednesday.