Bail hearing postponed for accused in Montreal smoke bombing

The bail hearing for four people charged in connection with the smoke bombing in the Montreal metro system was postponed today for another week.

The hearing for François-Vivier Gagnon, Geneviève Vaillancourt, Vanessa L'Écuyer and Roxanne Bélisle has been rescheduled for May 23. They had turned themselves in to authorities Friday at an undisclosed police station, accompanied by lawyers.

More than 50 supporters gathered for a demonstration in front of the courthouse where they were set to make an appearance Monday morning.

There were some emotional scenes at the courthouse, with friends and family of the accused hugging each other. One young girl was in tears.

Some journalists and protesters also got involved in shoving matches.

Angry exchanges

The protesters accused the media of being biased against their cause, and they obstructed television cameras from gathering images, doing things like tossing sheets over camera lenses. That led to some angry exchanges.

As the accused left the courtroom, supporters cheer them on.

The four were charged Saturday with inciting fear of terrorism, conspiracy and mischief over $5,000. Gagnon was also charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, a charge allegedly related to a knife.

The morning rush-hour attacks Thursday prompted a mass evacuation of the underground network. Subway service was paralyzed for more than three hours, leaving hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded.

The accused are charged in connection with the smoke bomb that went off at the Lionel-Groulx Metro station.

Two other smoke devices were detonated at the Préfontaine and Jean-Talon stations. Police are still looking for suspects in those incidents.