13 arrests, guns seized — and a possible ‘conspiracy’ to commit murder: RCMP swoop in on Coutts, Alta. border protest

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This article was published 14/02/2022 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COUTTS, Alta.— Mounties in Alberta say they swept in to make arrests and seize weapons and ammunition as an already tense blockade near the Coutts border crossing was about to escalate dangerously.

The RCMP said they had arrested more than a dozen people by Monday evening in and around Coutts who were associated with the protest, had access to a large collection of guns and were willing “to use force against the police if any attempts were made to disrupt the blockade.”

“We knew what was about to happen or inevitably to happen, and we acted as soon as we could,” Supt. Roberta McKale told media.

A number of investigations, including “conspiracy to attempt to commit murder” and those related to possession of weapons are taking place, she said.

The RCMP action appeared to have deflated the two-week blockade at the border crossing. By Monday night, most of the protesters had cleared out — leaving only a few dozen vehicles in the area.

Eight of the arrests took place at two residences in Coutts. Other arrests were at a vehicle in Coutts, at the blockade and on the highway.

RCMP said that two people connected to the protest had been arrested later Monday, bringing the total number to 13. One person was arrested on the highway with two weapons and allegedly en route back to the protest site. The other was a truck driver who, around 1 p.m., accelerated toward an RCMP checkpoint before swerving “at the last moment” and hitting some traffic cones.

Police say they grew aware of a small, organized group that was part of the overall protest. They began making arrests at midnight while executing a search warrant. Officers searched three trailers and police said they seized 13 long guns, handguns, multiple sets of body armour, a machete, a large quantity of ammunition as well as high-capacity magazines.

As an example of what police say was the group’s “militant mindset,” RCMP said a large farm tractor and semi truck involved in the blockade had also attempted to ram a police vehicle the previous evening.

The officer was able to avoid the collision and RCMP followed the suspects to a location where they found the protesters gathered. Police say they’ve identified the driver of the tractor and are working on finding him to take him to into custody. They have seized both vehicles.

“The Alberta RCMP will resume efforts to end the illegal blockade, which has prevented access to the Coutts border. We encourage all participants who are involved in this illegal action to leave immediately or relocate to the designated site for the legal protest.”

Coutts Mayor Jim Willett said he’d hoped it wouldn’t get to this point.

“Anybody that’s been watching these kinds of things knows that the longer they go on, the more chance you have to attract a real undesirable element, and that’s what happened here, I think,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s been festering in my town for months. I think it’s obviously (that) they came in with campers and moved into this area; they’re not, for the most part, the people are not local, from what I understand.”

At a news conference, Premier Jason Kenney said the incident was “extremely concerning.”

“What we now know at Coutts, following an exhaustive investigation from the RCMP, is that there is, at least in that case, a small cell of people who wanted to take this in a very dangerous and dark direction.”

Kenney said the investigation started last week and said police decided to pause broader enforcement while they investigated the group. He added he had received information that RCMP had found “thousands of rounds.”

Kenney said he understood why some had demanded swift action on the blockade at Coutts, but added it was “important for the government to work with the RCMP to avoid further inflaming the situation until they could address the security risk.”

There were still 30 to 40 vehicles visible near Milk River, about 10 minutes north of Coutts on Monday night — a far cry from the sprawling scene that had earlier marked the demonstration. Police said the expected the rest to leave in the morning.

With files from Jeremy Nuttall, Vancouver Bureau

Kieran Leavitt is an Edmonton-based political reporter for the Toronto Star. Follow him on Twitter: @kieranleavitt

Omar Mosleh is an Edmonton-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @OmarMosleh