RCMP charge Ottawa man tied to 'violent far-right ideology' with terrorism offences

RCMP officers have arrested two people and charged one with three terrorism offences in a first-of-its-kind case.

The Mounties charged Patrick Gordon Macdonald, a 26-year-old Ottawa man, with participating in the activity of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity and commission of an offence for terrorist group (wilful promotion of hatred).

Macdonald appeared in an Ottawa court Wednesday and will appear again Friday morning.

The RCMP said in a news release that the arrests of Macdonald and a second individual came about in response to information it received about the activities of the far-right Atomwaffen Division, a group Canada has listed as a terrorist entity.

"This case is the first in Canada in which an individual advocating a violent far-right ideology has been charged with both terrorism and hate propaganda," the RCMP said in the news release.

The force said it uncovered evidence that Macdonald allegedly helped to create and distribute three propaganda videos for the Atomwaffen Division.

"This material was intended to promote the group and recruit members, and encourages the commission of terrorist activities," the news release said.

The second individual arrested may face charges at a later date; the RCMP has not named the individual but has said they are from Kingsey Falls, Que.

"We are going to assess the evidence that we've gathered in the file and make a determination in regards to possible criminal accusations against this individual as well," said Insp. David Beaudoin, who runs the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) in Montreal that led the investigation.

Beaudoin added that, while the RCMP investigation did not find any imminent threats to public safety, the Mounties did take action against other people.

"There are a few other people that were identified as a result of the investigation. The RCMP has taken some disruptive actions to make sure to contain any potential threat moving forward," he said.

Atomwaffen violent, runs training camps: Public Safety

According to Public Safety Canada, the Atomwaffen Division was founded in 2013 in the United States and is a neo-Nazi group. It also goes by the name National Socialist Order (NSO). It was listed as a terrorist entity by the Canadian government on Feb. 2, 2021.

"The group calls for acts of violence against racial, religious and ethnic groups, and informants, police and bureaucrats, to prompt the collapse of society," the department said in its terrorism listing.

"AWD has previously held training camps, also known as hate camps, where its members receive weapons and hand-to-hand combat training."

The listing says the group has been violent at public rallies, including the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Va., and that the co-leader of the group, an American, is banned from entering Canada.

The RCMP said in its news release that it's committed to combating ideologically motivated extremism.

"Several partners are working together to counter all forms of violent extremism and propaganda by groups listed as terrorist entities in Canada," it said.

"The public's assistance is essential to combat this major issue, which is a national priority."

Terrorism charges notable, expert says

Jessica Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence, told CBC News Network's Power & Politics that the terrorism charges in this case differ from most such charges laid in Canada.

"These are very serious charges," she told host David Cochrane. "They're interesting because they don't seem to be tied to any active plot or ongoing threat. So they're really about participating in and facilitating terrorist activity."

Davis said most terrorism charges are aimed at potential attacks, plots or travel to engage in terrorist activity.

"So it really shows a bit more of a broadening of the concept of what is terrorism in Canada," she said.

Davis said a 2021 Vice article brought Macdonald into the public eye. The article describes him as a graphic designer living with his parents in an Ottawa suburb — and as a prolific visual propagandist for neo-Nazi groups.

Kawser Ahmed, a professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg, said Macdonald's skill set is in high demand among such movements.

"Propaganda plays a very vital role in far-right idea dissemination," he said, comparing the far-right's use of visual propaganda to that of the Islamist terrorist group ISIS.

Ahmed said that, at Atomwaffen's height in 2016-17, he documented roughly 2,000 to 3,000 followers of the group. He said that while Atomwaffen has largely gone underground since — with its members using pseudonyms — Macdonald is an exception.

"Mr. Macdonald continuously supported the group even after the 2021 listing of this organization as a terror group," Ahmed said.

He said that while he welcomes Macdonald's arrest, the difficulty of bringing forward terrorism charges puts law enforcement in a tough situation.

"In order to charge, we have to be really meeting the threshold. Otherwise, it won't go far," he said.

"But in the meantime, the damage has been done and many people have been reached or recruited, if I safely can assume."