RCMP raid home of Canadian army reservist accused of recruiting for Neo-Nazi terrorist group.

[The Romulan Republic]

https://cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pat ... -1.5253212

The RCMP raided the rural Manitoba house of a military reservist who is suspected of recruiting for a global neo-Nazi terrorist group late Monday night and seized a number of firearms.

No charges have been laid against Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, a member of the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade Group, but both RCMP and the military are investigating his alleged ties to The Base, an organization that promotes hate.

Mounties descended on Mathews's home in the rural town of Beausejour, about 50 kilometres east of Winnipeg, late Monday, ordering him out of his house.

In a video of the raid, posted to Facebook a short time later, a voice can be heard saying: "Patrik Mathews, we have a search warrant for this residence. You can exit the back door with your hands in the air."

RCMP said later they searched a house in Beausejour and seized a number of firearms, but no one is in custody at this time.

RCMP wouldn't confirm who owns the house, but neighbour Tyler Wenzoski, who shot the video, told CBC News it belongs to Mathews. A search of the property registry by CBC News showed that the house is owned by Patrik Jordan Mathews.

Sarah Lockhart, who lives across the street, said dozens of police officers and a tactical team were at the home across from hers around 10:30 p.m. CT.

"He came out quietly," she said. "It took them about five minutes to get him out."

Outside his home today, Mathews declined to comment.

The Department of National Defence is investigating claims that Mathews, an eight-year member of the 38 Canadian Brigade Group, is involved in a neo-Nazi group.

If the allegations are confirmed, Mathews could be forced to undergo counselling or lose his job, among other possible consequences, said brigade commander Col. Gwen Bourque.

Posters for The Base have been put up in various locations around Winnipeg. (Facebook/FF1)
"It's completely unacceptable for [Canadian Armed Forces] members to participate in any activity or have any membership in a group or organization that the members know or should have ought to have known that is connected to criminal activities," Bourque said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.

"Every soldier must respect the dignity of all persons, at all times."

Details of Mathews' alleged activities were originally revealed by the Winnipeg Free Press, whose reporter went undercover posing as a white nationalist wishing to join the group. According to the report, Mathews has training with explosives.

Bourque acknowledged Mathews, as a combat engineer, has "very rudimentary" explosives training that involves basic understanding of demolition.

Bourque also stressed that Mathews would only have access to explosives as part of sanctioned military exercises. She described his master corporal rank as a "junior" position within the Army Reserves but said he would've received leadership training and been in charge of a section of reserve soldiers.

Mathews most recently worked in May for a total of six hours and that's the last time he was paid, said Bourque.

The military had no knowledge of his alleged involvement in hate activities or with The Base at that time, Bourque said, and his unit isn't scheduled to work again until September.

'Death cult'
Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, described The Base as an extreme right-wing North American hate organization.

It's focused on growing its membership through recruitment and training for violence, he said.

"They consider the alt-right to be not extreme enough," he said. "They are almost like a neo-Nazi death cult."

It isn't clear how many people belong to the group in Canada, but Farber said the size of the group isn't necessarily the most important detail.

"It only really takes one or two very committed, ultra-violent individuals to create all kinds of havoc," said Farber.

One of The Base's stated goals is for members to get into the military in order to receive training and then spread that to others in their group, according to Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

He said The Base idolizes mass killers and pledges to carry out terrorist attacks to accelerate what they see as a coming race war.

Posters seeking recruits for The Base have appeared in multiple locations around Winnipeg in recent weeks.

Some experts estimate the membership in The Base is around 50 to 100 members.

National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan wouldn't comment on the current investigation into Mathews but denounced the actions of hate groups.

"Any type of behaviour like this is completely unacceptable in the Canadian Armed Forces and we take this very seriously," he said.

Watchdog investigates racism
Last month, Sajjan asked the Canadian military ombudsman to investigate racism in the Armed Forces. There's no timeline for that study.

"Even one person with this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and we don't want anyone in uniform with that type of behaviour festering in the Canadian Armed Forces," he said.

The Military Police Criminal Intelligence Section tracked incidents of racism and white supremacy within the CAF from 2013 to 2018. Less than one per cent of the military population was engaged in racist or hate-motivated activities, according to the military police.

Punishment for this type of behaviour ranges from counselling to career consequences, including dismissal and legal repercussions. The military said seven administrative reviews have been conducted related to extremism and racism, which has led to two individuals being released from the Forces.

He sure as hell better lose his job. Traitors ought to have no place in our armed forces.

[The Romulan Republic]

And here's some more information on the group:

https://vice.com/en_ca/article/7xqe8z/m ... an-soldier

Disturbing images showing eight masked men shooting what appears to be a combination of shotguns and assault rifles is the latest propaganda posted by neo-Nazi extremist network The Base, as the group garners the attention of law enforcement in both the US and Canada.

Tipped by the Counter-Extremism Project, the footage was posted on a known extremist Telegram channel and shows at least seven masked men holding weapons, then firing them in the same direction. A counterterrorism source told VICE the GIF, which is dated August 18, 2019, has never been seen online until this weekend, around the time it was believed The Base was training near Spokane, Washington State and undertaking a “hate camp” —a paramilitary-style training camp for militant neo-Nazis.

News of the footage comes just one day after an alleged member of the group was outed as a soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and was under investigation by federal authorities. Master Corporal Patrik Mathews, a member of the CAF Reserves, is accused of participating in the armed neo-Nazi collective and is now being investigated by two police forces, the RCMP and military police.

The RCMP's investigation into Mathews led police to search the man’s home, where they seized several firearms. A neighbour captured a video of a tactical RCMP unit pulling up to a home in Beausejour, where Mathews is known to live, and calling for “Patrik” to surrender.

Speaking to VICE, RCMP confirmed the firearm sweep, but would not say Mathews was the suspect. They told VICE officers executed a public safety warrant at 10 PM on Monday and that while a “number of firearms were seized,” no one is in custody “at this time.”

The RCMP would not confirm what sparked the search or what firearms were seized. The Winnipeg Free Press confirmed the home was that of Mathews.

The group Mathews is alleged to be a part of is one of the most extreme in the far-right ecosystem. VICE conducted an investigation into the group in November and found it was an extremist cell founded in 2018 by a man who goes by the aliases "Norman Spear" and "Roman Wolf." Spear aimed to bring together different groups who make up the typically fractious extreme-right ecosystem to create domestic-terror cells worldwide.

The group’s online library provides members with a variety of extremist literature, which includes guides for making bombs and chemical weapons. Its members are encouraged to go beyond online actions and carry out real-world violence. Joshua Fisher-Birch, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project, a U.S.-based terrorism watchdog, said the mixing of online recruiting and push for real-world actions make The Base a “significant threat.”

"The Base is particularly dangerous because of [its] focus on developing and sharing skills useful for terrorism and guerilla warfare, such as ambushes, weapons training, and making explosives," Fisher-Birch said. "This is a radical group that not only wants violence but is preparing for it."

Recently The Base has been pushing to recruit new members in international locations, including a postering campaign in the Canadian province of Manitoba. In some locations the group has conducted training events and posted images of those meetups online.

Ryan Thorpe, a reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press, was able to pass neo-Nazis’ vetting process and observe the inner workings of the group. Thorpe wrote a series of explosive stories in which he outlined The Base’s current online activities and then met up with a member in Winnipeg. The member told Thorpe about his hateful views, his thirst for violence, and how he attempted to attend a “hate camp” but was blocked by border officials—something that VICE saw evidence of and was referenced independently in Base propaganda.

This person identified himself as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and Thorpe was able to ID him as one, Cpl Master Patrik Mathews.

Since then the Canadian military and RCMP have both launched investigations into Mathews.

“The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) was aware of possible racist extremist activities by a CAF member in Manitoba prior to the recent media coverage and have been investigating the matter,” reads a statement provided to VICE. “As the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further. If any instances of wrong-doing are founded, action will be taken.”

In a press conference, Col. Gwen Bourque said that Mathews was a “class A” soldier who last worked in May when he partook in two parades—he was next expected to work in September. He joined in 2010 and had full-time employment outside of his work in the reserves. She said Mathews had a “basic understanding of demolitions” but was not an expert nor permitted to access explosives or weapons outside of training exercises.

“I wanted to also ensure everyone that Master Corporal Patrik Mathews cannot obtain explosives from the military as he does not have the authorization,” said Bourque. “He doesn't hold any of the requisite qualifications to draw any type of explosive and has no access to weapons. He's had some very rudimentary training on explosives as any combat engineer would, so he has a basic understanding of demolition.”

Attacks committed by far-right extremists are on the rise. Recently a man named Connor Climo, a member of Feuerkrieg Division, a similar group to The Base, was arrested in Las Vegas was and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm after being found with the materials to make an improvised explosive device. Before his arrest, Climo spoke to an undercover FBI agent about his plan to attack a nearby mosque with explosives and firearms. Climo's rhetoric and ideology were consistent with the rhetoric VICE viewed inside the chat room used by members of The Base.

When inside the newest iteration of The Base, the Winnipeg Free Press reporter found many group activities VICE reported are still ongoing. This includes the organizational structure, the veneration of mass killers, a vetted chatroom (now on Wire instead of the Riot server), pushes for the formation of cells internationally, a thirst for real-world action, and bigoted and extremist rhetoric. The leader has dropped his pseudonym of Norman Spear and has adopted Roman Wolf full time.

A Canadian Armed Forces report “White Supremacy, Hate Groups, and Racism in The Canadian Armed Forces" published in November 2018 found 53 members of the CAF have participated in hate groups. This includes a member of Atomwaffen, a similar extremist group The Base which has been involved in five murders since 2017. When asked about what actions the military is taking to prevent extremists from becoming soldiers, Bourque said CAF does “background checks” and “investigates” their members prior to joining.

“I can also tell you right now that the Minister of National Defence just last week, has asked the Ombudsman to look into allegations of hate groups and conduct an investigation,” Bourque added. “So the Government of Canada is taking this very seriously as well.”

Follow Mack Lamoureux and Ben Makuch on Twitter.

Yeah, these aren't just some guys sitting around and talking deplorable shit. These are seriously dangerous fuckers.

[Ralin]

The RCMP raided the rural Manitoba house of a military reservist who is suspected of recruiting for a global neo-Nazi terrorist group late Monday night and seized a number of firearms.

No charges have been laid against Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, a member of the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade Group, but both RCMP and the military are investigating his alleged ties to The Base, an organization that promotes hate.

The Base

Isn't that what Al-Qaeda's name means in Arabic?

[The Romulan Republic]

The RCMP raided the rural Manitoba house of a military reservist who is suspected of recruiting for a global neo-Nazi terrorist group late Monday night and seized a number of firearms.

No charges have been laid against Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, a member of the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade Group, but both RCMP and the military are investigating his alleged ties to The Base, an organization that promotes hate.

The Base

Isn't that what Al-Qaeda's name means in Arabic?

Yup. According to Google, it can be translated as "The Base", "The Foundation", or "The Database".

This isn't the first time that the eerie similarity between Jihadi terror groups and white supremacists has been noted. They're ultimately two sides of the same coin- both are an extremist minority that want a global culture war and use very similar tactics to get it and fight it, including online radicalization of lone killers. Ultimately, they play into each others' hands, too- both want a war between Islam and the West, after all, and ever violent act one group commits can be used by both groups to portray Islam and the West as enemies, and to recruit more people to die for the cause.

The key difference is that the white supremacists, now more than ever, enjoy the tacit (and sometimes explicit) support and encouragement of the most powerful nation on the planet. And are therefore far more dangerous.

[Lord Revan]

To be honest humans aren't as inventive as we love to claim and the extremist are generally even less inventive. I mean Hitler's title literally means "the leader".

Still it's good to see another scumbag arrested and hopefully put behind bars for a long time.

[Eulogy]

They're ultimately two sides of the same coin- both are an extremist minority that want a global culture war and use very similar tactics to get it and fight it, including online radicalization of lone killers. Ultimately, they play into each others' hands, too- both want a war between Islam and the West, after all, and ever violent act one group commits can be used by both groups to portray Islam and the West as enemies, and to recruit more people to die for the cause.

Now if only they jump the gun on each other and wipe themselves out.

[The Romulan Republic]

He's been sacked:

https://cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pat ... -1.5262197

An army reservist whose alleged links to a neo-Nazi group led to a raid on his rural Manitoba home last week has been fired, according to the Department of National Defence.

Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews, a member of the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade Group, "will no longer be a participant in military activities in any form, and will not be returning to work," a military spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC News.

"This action was deemed necessary, considering the seriousness of the allegations and the risk to unit morale and cohesion."

The military and RCMP are investigating his alleged ties to The Base, an organization that promotes hate, for which he is alleged to have recruited. Posters for the group began popping up around Winnipeg in late July.

Mathews requested a release from the Canadian Armed Forces in April, according to the spokesperson. It is not known why. He was with the Forces for eight years, worked as a combat engineer and was trained in the use of explosives.

The RCMP raided Mathews' home in Beausejour, Man. last week and seized multiple firearms. He has not been charged with a crime.

Mubin Shaikh, a former CSIS analyst and counter-terrorism expert, says he wasn't surprised by Mathews' removal, and says the publicity surrounding the story might have contributed to the decision.

"It's hard to know if the public pressure is what forced the hand of the Canadian Forces in this regard," Shaikh told CBC News.

He says there might be others in the military with similar ideologies.

"The military is a favoured recruiting ground for white supremacists. It's also a place where they've long since talked about obtaining training by joining the military," Shaikh said.

But this case also hands the military an opportunity to weed out extremists.

"The Canadian Armed Forces is going to use to use this as an instance, as an example, as precedent," said Shaikh.

"I can guarantee you that there are soldiers all over the country reading that story and getting the message that, listen, we literally can't be a Canadian and a supporter of Naziism."

Further details about Mathews are covered under the Privacy Act and the military declined further comment.

[The Romulan Republic]

And he's gone missing. Shit.

https://cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/pat ... -1.5262251

The man accused of recruiting for a global neo-Nazi terrorist group while serving in Canada's Army Reserves has gone missing, and his boss is pleading with him to contact his distraught family.

On Monday, Beausejour RCMP in Manitoba got a missing persons report for Patrik Mathews, 26, who was last seen on Saturday evening by his father, who reported him missing on Monday evening.

Mathews's alleged ties to the group known as The Base led to his ejection from the Armed Forces this week.

"Efforts to contact and locate him by family and police have been unsuccessful since the report was received," says an RCMP statement.

"This is a missing person investigation. There is no warrant for arrest and there are no charges pending against the individual."

Mathews's boss last saw him on Friday. He asked for permission to leave work early so he could turn in his military kit and resign from the Forces.

"I told him, 'We'll ride this out with you, we've got your back, but I can't see any scenario that will play out well unless you dissociate from that group,'" said his boss, who is not being named by CBC News because he owns a construction company in rural Manitoba and is concerned about putting his livelihood at risk. Mathews does not work in the community in which he lives.

His boss expected Mathews to phone him early Monday morning to get details on his roofing job, which Mathews does like clockwork every day, but that call never came.

He tried to reach Mathews, but his phone went straight to voicemail, something his boss said is unusual — he would always answer unless he's in an area with no cellphone service.

Family members are concerned for the well-being of Patrik Mathews, who hasn't been seen since Saturday. (Beasejour RCMP)
Later that day, when Mathews's father called to see if he was at work, everyone started getting concerned, the boss said.

His father, who asked not to be named, told the CBC News he'd been in daily touch with his son, but hadn't received response to texts and calls since Saturday. His father said he went to his house in Beasejour on Monday and Tuesday, but there was no sign of his son, who had taken his laptop but little else.

"We're hoping for the best … but we get more concerned every day that passes."

Military resignation?
There has been some confusion about whether Mathews resigned from the military or he was evicted.

He had been with the Forces for eight years, where he worked as a combat engineer and was trained in the use of explosives.

On Tuesday evening, the military sent a statement saying Mathews had been fired from his position following the allegations made about his involvement with neo-Nazis.

A spokesperson told CBC News that Mathews, a master corporal with the Winnipeg-based 38 Canadian Brigade Group, "will no longer be a participant in military activities in any form, and will not be returning to work.

"This action was deemed necessary, considering the seriousness of the allegations and the risk to unit morale and cohesion," the military spokesperson said in an email.

Last week, Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of defence staff, said the military had already been talking to Mathews about some of his viewpoints.

"In April he had undergone the first step of administrative response to his utterances. And thereafter, as I understand it, he decided to put in his release," Vance told reporters.

The military and RCMP are continuing to investigate his alleged ties to The Base, a hate group that seeks to gain military training to prepare for what they see as a coming race war. Posters for the group began popping up around Winnipeg in late July.

Army reservist fired over alleged links to neo-Nazi group
Top general says military started dealing with suspected neo-Nazi in the spring
Mathews's alleged involvement was detailed in a series in the Winnipeg Free Press after a reporter went undercover to pose as a white supremacist and met a man who was recruiting members.

Mathews's boss saw the first story, which didn't identify the recruiter.

However, he recognized the description of Mathews, so he and his son contacted RCMP and told them Mathews had legal possession of some firearms. Mathews's father told CBC News he also knew about the firearms, which he said is not uncommon in rural areas. He added his son followed regulations and always kept them registered.

The next day, RCMP raided Mathews's home in Beausejour and seized multiple firearms. He has not been charged with any crime.

Mathews is believed to be driving his 2010 Dodge Ram (photo not actual vehicle). (Beausejour RCMP)
'We've never seen that side of him'
Mathews's boss described him as highly functional, a good worker and well-read.

His father said he is kind-hearted, not violent and not a risk to public safety. He said he's extremely grateful to the boss, who gave his son a chance to prove himself. He just wants his son to return home safely.

Mathews's boss said co-workers have heard him talk about some white nationalist ideologies, but they are shocked about his alleged involvement in a hate group. His father added he himself despises the group and its ideologies.

"People think he's a monster, but we've never seen that side of him," says Mathews's boss.

"If you know him, you'd feel more empathy because he does have challenges. If we would turn our backs on him, the last thing he needs to be doing is sitting at home on the internet."

Mathews's bossdoesn't feel Mathews is capable of hurting himself or anyone else.

"My biggest concern is [that] I would like to hear some news, [to] know what's going on.

"Pat, if you're out there, please call your dad," the boss added.

His family has asked for privacy.

Mathews is described as:

Five feet 10 inches tall.
Weighing 180 pounds.
Blue eyes and blonde hair.
He is believed to be driving a red 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT with Manitoba licence plate number: HXJ 806
Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Mathews can call the Beausejour RCMP at 204-268-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or go online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.





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I was afraid of something like this when I read he'd been fired. I hope I'm wrong, but my gut says either he's laying low while planning some act of retaliatory violence, or he's offed himself, in which case he's now a martyr for neo-Nazism who was "driven to suicide by politically-correct government persecution" or somesuch.

[MKSheppard]

He's alive and arrested in Baltimore.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/wjla.com/a ... ts-weapons

The FBI has arrested three men who are suspected of being members of a neo-Nazi hate group. They are facing federal firearms and alien-related charges, and are due in court this afternoon.

Brian Mark Lemley, Jr., 33, of Elkton, Maryland, and Newark, Delaware as well as William Garfield Bilbrough IV,19, of Denton, Maryland are charged with transporting and harboring aliens and conspiring to do so.

Lemley is also charged with transporting a machine gun and disposing of a firearm and ammunition to an alien unlawfully present in the United States.

Patrik Jordan Mathews, 27, currently of Newark, Delaware has been charged with transporting a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony. Mathews has also been charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The three men had plans to attend a pro-gun rally in Richmond next week, according to ABC News.

The three men are expected to appear in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt starting at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday.

ABC7's Tim Barber will be at the courthouse and will have more information this afternoon on ABC7 News.

[MKSheppard]

The F.B.I. has arrested three men suspected of being members of a neo-Nazi hate group, including a former reservist in the Canadian Army, who had weapons and discussed traveling to a pro-gun rally next week in Richmond, Va., in anticipation of a possible race war.

The men were taken into custody on Thursday morning as part of a long-running investigation into the group, known as The Base. The men were charged with various federal crimes in Maryland, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the case. They were scheduled to appear in federal court before a judge on Thursday afternoon.

One of the men, Patrik Mathews, a main recruiter for the group, entered the United States illegally from Canada, according to the officials. Mr. Mathews was trained as a combat engineer and was considered an expert in explosives. He was dismissed from the Canadian Army after his ties to white supremacists surfaced.

The Base has become a growing concern for the F.B.I. as it has worked to recruit more people to its violent cause. The Base is an “accelerationist group that encourages the onset on anarchy,” according to the Counter Extremism Project, a group that tracks far-right extremists.