Quebec RCMP say search complete of properties allegedly connected with neo-Nazi group

Plessisville, Que. -

The RCMP say search warrants executed Thursday on properties southwest of Quebec City allegedly connected to a neo-Nazi terrorist group were completed without incident and the investigation remains ongoing.

The investigation is targeting individuals with suspected ties to the Atomwaffen Division, which has been listed by the federal government as a terror group since February 2021.

Heavily armed tactical officers took part in the operation in the communities of St-Ferdinand and Plessisville, which are located between Montreal and Quebec City.

Police say the sites were searched and the operation were wrapped up by 7 p.m. Thursday with no arrests made.

RCMP Cpl. Tasha Adams said today that because the investigation, which began in 2020, is ongoing, she could not talk about what was seized or if the searches were connected to other investigations.

The federal Public Safety Department says Atomwaffen Division was founded in the United States in 2013 and has since expanded to other countries, including Canada.

The department's website says the group, which is also known as the National Socialist Order or NSO, calls for acts of violence against racial, religious, and ethnic groups as well informants, police, and bureaucrats in order to prompt the collapse of society.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2022.