Latest Episodes

Episode 409: In June 2006, police carried out coordinated arrests across southern Ontario and charged 18 young men under Canada’s anti-terrorism laws. The case quickly became known as the Toronto 18.…

Episode 376: On June 6, 2021, Nathaniel Veltman, 20, deliberately drove his truck into the Afzaal family, Pakistani immigrants, as they walked along the road in London, Ontario. The attack…

On May 18, 1966, Paul Joseph Chartier, among other things, a disillusioned and unemployed security guard and former truck driver, attempted a deadly act of terrorism on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Chartier planned to throw a homemade dynamite bomb into the House of Commons chamber, targeting politicians he blamed for societal injustices and his personal failures. However, the bomb detonated prematurely in a washroom, killing only Chartier himself. This tragic incident drew significant attention at the time, leading to investigations by the RCMP and led to a federal inquiry.

On April 23, 2018, a bright spring afternoon turned into a nightmare when a rented van plowed through pedestrians along Yonge Street in North York, a Toronto neighbourhood. In just minutes, 10 lives were tragically lost, and 16 others were injured; one of those later passed away from her injuries, bringing the death toll to 11. The community was left mourning, and the country grappled with questions of how and why such a senseless act could occur. The man behind the wheel was 25-year-old Alec Minassian, a self-proclaimed member of the so-called "incel" community—short for "involuntary celibate." This online subculture, rooted in misogyny and resentment, has been linked to acts of violence, often targeting women. Minassian’s actions that day were not random; they were a calculated act of terror fueled by a toxic ideology that glorifies hatred and violence against those perceived as rejecting or oppressing men like him.

On October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi, husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was brutally attacked in his San Francisco home. The perpetrator? A 42-year-old Canadian man named David DePape. Born and raised in British Columbia, DePape's journey from a small-town Canadian to an alleged political extremist is a disturbing tale of online radicalization. As we'll explore in this episode, DePape became immersed in far-right conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies, particularly those aligned with QAnon and other conspiratorial narratives. The attack on Paul Pelosi serves as a chilling reminder of how online misinformation and conspiracy theories can lead to real-world violence. We'll examine how DePape's beliefs evolved, the role of social media echo chambers in his radicalization, and the broader implications of this case for Canadian and American society. Join us as we unravel the events leading up to that fateful night in San Francisco and explore the dark undercurrents of extremism that can turn an ordinary Canadian into a violent offender on the international stage.

Episode 231: Gerald Vincent Bull was a smart cookie. He graduated from the University of Toronto at 20, got a master’s degree at age 21, and at 22 earned a Ph.D. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Toronto’s newly created Institute of Aerodynamics. Magazines touted him the ‘boy rocket scientist’. Nations sought him for his innovative ideas regarding long range artillery, ballistics and other military related endeavours. He was charged several times with breaching arms embargoes, even spending time in prison, a sore spot for the proud scientist. Eventually he became involved in Iraq’s ‘Project Babylon’ in which he was asked personally by then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to build a Supergun which would launch weapons into space, giving Hussein the capability of bombing targets 1000’s of kilometres away. This obviously worried Iraq’s neighbours in the Middle East. Before the project was completed Gerald Bull was assassinated, shot five times outside his apartment building in Brussels, Belgium. A lot of nations hated Gerald Bull and some, no doubt, wanted him dead, but it remains a mystery who was behind his killing. It isn’t clear who actually pulled the trigger in the murder of Gerald Bull, most likely it was someone either within, or acting on behalf of, one of those governments who’d felt threatened by Bull’s activities and alliances.

Episode 220: The attention grabbing headline of the the article in The Province newspaper on the morning of July 3, 2013 screamed, “RCMP foil Canada Day bomb plot”, the subheading read, “VICTORIA: Two British Columbians allegedly hatch scheme to blow up legislature.” Since March of that year, RCMP had been engaged in what they called Project Souvenir, a complex and expensive sting operation to gather evidence against two Surrey residents, John Stuart Nuttall, 38, and his common-law wife, Amanda Marie Korody, 29. The RCMP alleged that the pair were Islamist extremist bent on blowing up BC’s legislature buildings in Victoria and killing as many innocent Canadians as possible on Canada Day that year. On the morning of July 1, the couple had apparently placed three pressure cooker bombs strategically near concrete planters on the west and east sides of the Provincial legislature buildings. The pair were taken into custody in the hallway of a hotel in Delta, B.C. where they had used a room, wired by cops for video and sound, where they had built their bombs and spoken openly about their plot to kill Canadians. But, as the truth came out, evidence revealed that Nuttall and Korody were not even remotely the devious threats to national security they’d been said to be and that the RCMP had in fact, according to court findings, entrapped the pair. The bombs had been inert, made using intentionally flawed designs and materials handed to the couple by the RCMP themselves during the more than one million dollar operation to bust them.Sources:John Nuttall | ReverbNationR. v. Nuttall, 2016 BCSC 1404 (CanLII), R. v. Nuttall, 2018 BCCA 479 (CanLII), Korody v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 FC 1398 (CanLII), Friends of John Nuttall say he was a great friend, but was also troubled | Globalnews.ca3 Jul 2013, 4 - The Province at Newspapers.com3 Jul 2013, 3 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com4 Jul 2013, 4 - The Vancouver Sun at Newspapers.comCKNW — NUTTALL & KORODY VideoVancouver Sun — Raw: Alleged terrorists Nuttall, Korody talk about Canada Day plotVancouver Sun — Raw: John Nuttall, accused in B.C. terror case, speaks with undercover officerYou searched for korody - BC Civil Liberties AssociationBC Civil Liberties AssociationVancouver Sun — An alleged terrorist’s Surrey suite is revealed 97a AveCanadian Press — B.C. couple walk free after entrapment ruling in terror caseBC Terror Trial Reveals Gong Show RCMP InvestigationExclusive W5 interview: Terror plotters claim they were groomed by Mounties and were relieved bombs were fakeW5: Undercover RCMP anti-terror investigation — YouTubeSurrey Suite, BB TV — YouTubeTerror trial video shows second thoughts — YouTubeCanada Day crowd at B.C. legislature was target in thwarted bomb plot, police say — Victoria Times ColonistNuttall and Korody, couple accused in Victoria legislature bomb plot, remain free after B.C. Court of Appeal ruling - BC | Globalnews.caRCMP spent $1M on Victoria terror plot investigation, including $90K on Nuttall and Korody - BC | Globalnews.caRCMP entrapment of B.C. couple in legislature bomb plot was ‘travesty of justice,’ court rules | CBC NewsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine

Episode 214: On November 25, 2011, neighbours around the four-plex at 51st Avenue and 47th Street in the town of Innisfail, Alberta heard a bang which shook their homes. Some said sounded like a gunshot, others said it sounded like someone dropping a heavy pile of wood. The dining room window of one the corner suites had been blown outward, glass was strewn throughout the yard. Police were called to the scene by a bystander inside the home and found a horrific scene. The home was full of smoke and debris. There at the dining room table, still in her wheelchair, first responders discovered the body of 23-year-old, Victoria (Vicky) Shachtay who’d died in what appeared to have been an explosion.Sources:Innisfail | The Canadian EncyclopediaR v Malley, 2015 ABCA 213 (CanLII), R v Malley, 2017 ABCA 186 (CanLII), Malley (Re), 2014 IIROC 10 (CanLII), Malley (Re), 2014 IIROC 29 (CanLII), Blast that killed Vicky Shachtay was a ‘targeted attack’: police | National PostStepfather told victim not to open Christmas gift that turned out to be bomb | CTV NewsFriends, family gather to remember Vicky Shachtay - MountainviewToday.caDisabled woman killed by parcel bomb — YouTubeA defining case | Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceBombing suspect arrested, police hold conference — YouTubeBrian Malley loses last appeal chance - MountainviewToday.caPipe bomb - WikipediaThe pipe bomb: a modern terrorist weapon - PubMedGUILTY - Canada - Vicky Shachtay, 23, paraplegic, killed by bomb, Innisfail, AB, 25 Nov 2011Financial advisor found guilty in blast that killed disabled woman — macleans.caBomb that killed paraplegic Innisfail mom Vicky Shachtay disguised to look like Christmas presents, Red Deer court told | Edmonton SunFriends, family gather to remember Vicky Shachtay - MountainviewToday.caCharges laid in bombing murder of Vicky Shachtay - MountainviewToday.caVictoria Shachtay’s caregiver testifies about moments before fatal explosionMysterious package killed Alberta mother | CBC NewsCanada ‘extremely lucky’ to face few bomb threats, attacks: RCMP - iPoliticsPresentation to Finance Committee Re: Disability Tax Credit Regarding Bill C-462 | Council of Canadians with DisabilitiesVicky Shachtay’s step-dad issues statement about her murder | CTV NewsInvestment Executive: Brian Malley ArticlesGlobal News: Victoria Shachtay | News, Videos & ArticlesRed Deer Advocate: Vicky Shacktay ArticlesVictoria-Shachtay | National PostUnsolved Murders. Help us solve a crime today. Homehttp://www.unsolvedcrimes.caA machinist in rural Ontario flipped the switch on a flashlight that arrived in the mail. Then it exploded | The Star16 years later, police still don’t know who killed Paavo Henttonen | News | toronto.comSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine

Episode 189: Starting in 1963 and stretching over the next seven years, a militant French separatist group called the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) terrorized La Belle Province. Their aim was to overthrow the Quebec government and leave Canada creating an independent Marxist- Leninist Quebec state. By 1970 the group had committed more than 200 violent criminal and terroristic acts including, bombings and high profile kidnappings. The group’s activities ultimately claimed the lives of eight people, including a Quebec provincial cabinet minister, and injured many more, before then Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, finding himself out of options, enacted the 1914 War Measures act to stem the violence of the October Crisis of 1970.Sources:Timeline of the Front de libération du Québec - WikipediaCBC Archives — What is the FLQ?Web Archive | McGill.ca — October Crisis 1970October Crisis - Canada’s Human Rights HistoryFLQ (FRONT DE LIBERATION DU QUEBEC) - SEVEN YEARS OF TERRORISM | Office of Justice ProgramsThe Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ by D’Arcy JenishRead Hostages Online by Gordon Kerr | BooksRead Terror Threat Online by Dwight Hamilton and Kostas Rimsa | BooksRead The Night Canada Stood Still Online by Robert Wright | BooksRead Trudeaumania Online by Robert Wright | BooksRead October Crisis: 50 Years After A Bloody Spasm That Nearly Tore Canada ApartDEMOCRACY VERSUS TERRORISM: FLQ TERRORISM IN QUEBEC, A CASE STUDY on JSTORThe Terrorist Activities of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) - The Beginning of a New EraPierre Vallières (1937-1998) - The Beginning of a New EraFront de libération du Québec (FLQ) | The Canadian EncyclopediaTHE FLQ: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION by Lorne WestonThe FLQ Crisis – VALOUR CANADASummary · Task Force on Kidnapping: The Department of External Affairs’ Files on the October Crisis · Canada Declassified« Front de libération du Québec (FLQ)» : tous nos articles | Le DevoirPierre Laporte - WikipediaJames Cross - WikipediaFrançois Schirm — WikipédiaEdmond Guénette — WikipédiaCommission of Inquiry Concerning Certain Activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP - WikipediaOctober Crisis: Who was Pierre Laporte, really? | Montreal GazetteLa police connaissait les ravisseurs de Cross et Laporte | Radio-Canada.caGlobal News — Search: FLQCanada - The Trudeau years, 1968–84 | BritannicaRegina v. Vallieres, 1969 CanLII 1000 (QC CA), Regina v. Vallieres, 1973 CanLII 1418 (QC CA), R. v. Cossette-Trudel, 1979 CanLII 2876 (QC CQ), The Quiet RevolutionChronology of the October Crisis, 1970, and its Aftermath - Quebec HistoryMessage of the FLQ to the Nation 1963YouTube — Trudeau: Just watch meJust watch me - WikipediaSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine

Episode 186: Twenty years ago, on the morning of September 11, 2001, as the world watched in horror, 19 radical Islamist al-Qaeda terrorists launched a group of coordinated attacks using four commuter planes as weapons, hitting several preplanned targets in the eastern United States. Two of the airliners were flown deliberately into each of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane smashed into the U.S. Pentagon. A fourth plane believed to have been bound for the U.S. Capitol building crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers aboard the flight fought back against the terrorists who’d taken over the flight.Among the 2977 people who died as a direct result of the attacks, 24 of those were Canadian. As with many other countries, Canada stepped up to help in the immediate aftermath. What follows are details of the initial attacks and then some of the stories from that day and its aftermath.Sources and Further Reading:National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United StatesNot a drill – Canada’s air force on 9/11 | Globalnews.caOperation Support - WikipediaOperation Yellow Ribbon - WikipediaCasualties of the September 11 attacks - WikipediaPublic Safety Canada — Remembering September 11thThe Government of Canada’s response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11CANADA AND 9/11: BORDER SECURITY IN A NEW ERATHE VIEWS OF CANADIAN SCHOLARS ON THE IMPACT OF THE ANTI-TERRORISM ACTThe Cost of 9/11The Day Canadians Opened Their Homes To AmericansThe Anti-Terrorism Act and Security Measures in Canada: Public Views, Impacts and Travel ExperiencesHalifax airport employee remembers ‘grateful’ passengers and crew stranded on 9/11 | Globalnews.caNew York thanks Gander, NL for help on 9/11 with piece of World Trade Center | Globalnews.ca9/11 Canadian victims | Globalnews.caBrian Williams Memory September 11: Why Our Memory May Change | TimeRCMP officer kept stranded air passengers safe on 9/11 | Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceFront row for history: Doc reveals fates of the ‘9/11 Kids’ at school with George W. Bush | Globalnews.ca9/11 and Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia‘Global National’ celebrates 20 years in TV special: ‘Disruption: 20 Years of Global National’ - National | Globalnews.caCan Watching Media Cause Symptoms of Trauma or PTSD? — Counselling & Therapy Services - The Juniper CenterSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/darkpoutine