-Caveat Lector- "Found among the weapons were red flags and a helmet emblazoned with Communist emblems, including the hammer and sickle of the former Soviet Union." Six arrested with devices on way to Quebec city =============================== by Tim Harper OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF QUEBEC CITY - On the eve of an international summit marked by the tightest security in Canadian history, police arrested six men they say were headed for the Summit of the Americas armed with a cache of explosive materials. The suspects, all from Quebec and all in their early 20s, include two men with ties to the Canadian military. Police say the six planned to wade into a throng of protesters and, once in the crowd, launch attacks with pilfered military training equipment that could endanger security officers and other protesters. The arsenal captured by police included four smoke bombs and three military pyrotechnic devices known as ``thunder flashes,'' used to simulate grenade explosions in military exercises. Also seized were gas masks, sling shots, bags of steel balls, baseball bats, wooden sticks and chains. Police say the suspects had been under surveillance since last fall. The six were charged with various counts, including conspiracy to commit mischief likely to endanger life; possession of an explosive substance with intent to use it and theft and possession of military devices. Army reserve member Serge Vallee, 21, and Canadian Forces member Alex Boissonneault, 22, are among those charged. Police are also looking for a seventh suspect. On arsenal seized by police ``These items represent a significant threat to people, police officers and peaceful protesters,'' said RCMP Inspector Mike Gaudet. ``The `thunder flashes' will cause, if released and exploded in a large crowd, serious injury.'' Found among the weapons were red flags and a helmet emblazoned with Communist emblems, including the hammer and sickle of the former Soviet Union. However, police refused to say whether the group had a political motive. Intelligence sources told The Star that as many as 150 ``hard core'' protesters are expected to be among as many as 20,000 trade opponents massing here beginning today when a peaceful candlelight march by demonstrators is planned. Quebec Police Force Inspector Robert Poeti said the group aimed to infiltrate peaceful protests then sow panic. Security intelligence has, for months, predicted that some form of violence could be expected when the 34 hemispheric leaders, including Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, U.S. President George Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox, arrive for weekend talks on a free trade zone of the Americas. Police laid out their seized arsenal only hours before the president of Trinidad and Tobago, Arthur Robinson, became the first of the 34 government leaders to arrive. The summit officially begins tomorrow night. This evening, the infamous security barricades are expected to snap shut, triggering a series of protests - the largest of which is expected Saturday, but potentially the most volatile, police say, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Along downtown Rue Saint-Jean yesterday, the sound of power saws drowned out all crowd noise as merchants inside the security perimeter began boarding up their stores. Many will close their doors for the weekend, keeping their fingers crossed that they do not become the target of vandals like those who ransacked stores during anti-globalization protests in Seattle in November, 1999. As many as 6,000 police officers, half of them from the RCMP, are expected out in a show of force. They have been training at nearby CFB Val Cartier, but their presence on the streets yesterday was discreet. However, police helicopters hovered overhead as many as 100 mailboxes have been removed in the vicinity of the summit and the airport. Roadblocks have been set up near the airport. Still, there was no mistaking the sense of apprehension. The Roots store, for instance, is encased in a new plywood wall, while at McDonald's, the sign is down and at the store that will be closed for the weekend. Also charged yesterday were Mario Bertoncini, 23, Jonathan Vachon, 19, Roman Pokorski, 22 and Victor Quentin, 21. Police have also issued a warrant for the arrest of Pierre David Habel, 21. ------- With files from Jim Rankin and Canadian Press <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
