The Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) announced on Wednesday that an Ottawa man is facing terrorism-related charges in Canada for allegedly producing propaganda videos to aid in the recruitment efforts of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division.
Patrick Gordon Macdonald, 26, is the first individual in Canadian history to be charged with both terrorism and hate propaganda offences for promoting a violent far-right ideology, according to the RCMP. Macdonald is accused of participating in the activities of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, and willfully promoting hatred on behalf of a terrorist group.
The charges against him stem from his alleged involvement in the creation, production, and distribution of three terrorist propaganda videos. These materials were intended to boost the group’s profile, attract new members, and incite acts of terrorism, as stated by the RCMP.
Another individual who was also arrested may face charges at a later date, the RCMP added.
Earlier this year, Atomwaffen Division’s founder and an associate were charged in the United States for allegedly plotting an attack on Baltimore’s power grid. The group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that monitors hate groups, seeks to bring about the collapse of civilization.
