Three Percenters, neo-Nazi group added to Canada's terrorist list

Public Safety Minister Bill Blairhas addedto the federal government'slist of terrorist entities the Three Percenters movement an anti-government group with a knownpresence inCanada that waslinked to a recent bomb plot in the U.S.

It's one of four organizationsadded today to the Criminal Code's list of terrorist entities in an attempt to prevent them from accessingfinancial support.

The Three Percenters named after a contentioustheory that only three per cent of Americans took up arms and served in George Washington's Colonial Army in the American Revolution against the British say their main goals are to protect the right to bear arms, defend against an "overreaching government" and "push back against tyranny."

Canadian officials speaking on background said they've gathered enough evidence to add the group to the list.

In materials provided to journalists, the government cited the role played bytwo of the group's leadersin a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer a plan which allegedly involved detonating explosives and executingpublic officials by hanging them on live television.

Canadian officials also cited a case of a Three Percentersmember shooting and wounding five men at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Minnesota in 2015.

Three Percenters are known to have chapters in Canada.

Financial implications

Anotherideologically motivated violent extremist group, Aryan Strikeforce, was added to the Criminal Codelist of terrorist groups today.

The U.K-founded neo-Nazi group, which has contacts in Canada, aims to carry out violent activities to overthrow governments, start a race warand eradicate ethnic minorities, said officials.

Canada also has added to the listan American named James Mason. The government describes himas longtime neo-Naziwho has providing ideological and tactical instruction on how to operate terrorist groups,

An organizationaffiliated tothe Islamic State in Democratic Republic of the Congo was also added to the list today.

The federal government created the terrorist list after the 9/11 attacks. The government says agroup is added to the list whenCanada's security and intelligence agencies, followingan "extremely rigorous" probe, find "reasonable grounds to believe that an entity has knowingly participated in or facilitated a terrorist activity."

It is not necessarily a crime to be a member of these groups, but designating an organization as a terrorist entity can have serious criminal and financial consequences.

Banks can freeze theassets of listed terror groupsand police can charge anyone who financially or materially supports such groups.

WATCH |Government announces four additions to the terrorist entities list

Government announces four additions to the terrorist entities list

3 years ago

Duration 2:33

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced two extremist groups, one ISIS affiliate, and an American neo-Nazi is being added to Canada's terrorist group list.

"Recent events should remove any doubts about the serious threat posed by ideologically motivated violent extremism," said Blair.

"Intolerance and hate have no place in our society and the government of Canada will continue to do all we can to keep Canadians safe from all threats, including terrorism and violent extremism."

IRGC not named

Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs, the party'spublic safety critic, said she supports the designations but asked why Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hasn't been added to the list.

"It's shameful that it's been over three years and the Trudeau Liberals have failed to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The IRGC is not only the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world, it's responsible for the killing of 138 individuals with ties to Canada with the downing of flight PS752," she said.

Blair said the Criminal Code doesnot allow Canada to list agovernment or thearmed forces of a government but it haslisted four of IRGC'sproxy agencies.

There are now 77 terrorist entities listed under the Criminal Code including the Proud Boys, who were added in February after the storming of Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 6.