(MENAFN) Canadian authorities have arrested four individuals — including two active-duty soldiers — in connection with a suspected terrorist plot to create an armed anti-government militia. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the arrests on Tuesday, stating that the group planned to seize land near Quebec City by force.

According to the RCMP, the suspects include two current corporals in the Canadian Armed Forces, a former service member, and a former civilian instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Authorities believe the group had been active since 2021 and had taken “concrete actions” to support terrorist activities, including undergoing military-style training.

A raid on the suspects’ homes in January 2024 uncovered 83 firearms — some of them banned under Canadian law — along with ammunition, 16 explosive devices, and tactical gear.

The investigation began in 2023 and revealed that the group had used a private Instagram channel to recruit followers for a planned anti-government uprising. RCMP spokesperson Erique Gasse described the case as an example of “ideologically motivated violent extremism.”

The incident echoes past separatist tensions in Quebec, a largely French-speaking province with a history of secessionist movements. Some of these movements, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, turned violent.

The report also draws parallels to recent events in Germany, where authorities dismantled the so-called “Kingdom of Germany” group — a self-declared counter-state linked to the far-right Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement. That group, too, had established alternative institutions and was accused of planning to overthrow the government.

In a 2022 crackdown, German police arrested dozens of individuals tied to a plot to topple the state and restore a monarchy, with suspects including ex-military and law enforcement personnel.

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