18:06Days before the so-called Freedom Convoy reached Ottawa, starting a weeks-long occupation of Canada’s capital and triggering a string of copy-cat blockades, the federal government was warned that violent extremist groups were deeply involved in the protest movement. Intelligence assessments – prepared by Canada’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre (ITAC) and seen by the Guardian – warned in late January that it was “likely” that extremists were involved and said that the scale of the protests could yet pose a “trigger point and opportunity for potential lone actor attackers to conduct a terrorism attack”. The assessments offer the first real glimpse in how federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have assessed the threat of Canada’s anti-vaccine and conspiracy movement. “We knew these people were coming,” said a federal government source, who indicated that the Security Intelligence Service Canada – Canada’s main intelligence service, of which ITAC is a part – had flagged the involvement of extremist groups and individuals in official briefings.

Source: The Guardian February 18, 2022 08:56 UTC