On-line exercise suggests accused Montreal shooter Seth Hatfield watched movies about weapons, the outside and a tangle of conspiracy theories and grievances.
Nevertheless, consultants warn in opposition to drawing conclusions in regards to the gunman.
In addition they urge individuals to cease sharing on-line pictures of Monday’s taking pictures exterior a Montreal resort.
Police mentioned two officers have been shot — one was killed along with a bystander, and the shooter died in the crossfire.
World Information has learn Hatfield’s greater than 100-page manifesto expressing hatred towards girls and referred to as for extra violence.
An account named S Hatfield left a Google evaluation of a watch restore store in Lethbridge, the southern Alberta neighborhood the place Quebec officers say a 25-year-old Hatfield lived.
The Google evaluation’s account used a profile picture of a white wolf in opposition to a black background.
The identical picture is utilized in a LinkedIn profile for an account named S Hatfield, listed in Lethbridge, and for a now-deleted YouTube account with the username Seth Hatfield.
Web site snapshots from 2023 present the YouTube account subscribed to channels about fishing and weapons and had a playlist of 51 movies.
Greater than a dozen of these movies have been six- or seven-year-old clips by Paul Joseph Watson, a former editor of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars platform.
In 2018, Watson joined the UK Independence Social gathering, which the Canadian Safety Intelligence Service lists for instance of latest right-wing extremism in Europe.
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Within the movies gathered on the YouTube account, Watson takes goal at immigration insurance policies, feminism and common music. The playlist features a four-year-old video claiming “Germanic nations” have been within the midst of “extermination and substitute.”
The identical video has Nazi imagery and suggests the COVID-19 pandemic was deliberate.
David Hofmann, an affiliate sociology professor on the College of New Brunswick, mentioned the movies are typical of the “buffet extremism” frequent for lone actors.
Hofmann mentioned these individuals have a tendency to choose and select theories aligning with their grievances and “cobble collectively their very own ideology.”
However he mentioned details about Hatfield continues to be rising and motives for the taking pictures are usually not settled.
Dr. Ghayda Hassan, a scientific psychologist and director of the Canadian Practitioners Community for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence, agreed with Hofmann’s “buffet extremism” characterization.
“You will note a few of these people use all kinds of theories — substitute theories, some conspiracy theories, Nazi theories, Marxist theories … to create a story that principally is smart for them on the subject of their grievances,” she mentioned in an interview.
On-line, there are myriad theories to select from, she mentioned.
Graphic video and footage of the Montreal taking pictures have additionally been circulating on-line, which Hassan mentioned might result in extra violence.
“The extra individuals share these contents, the extra extremist individuals or susceptible individuals will use these contents to additional groom different people,” Hassan mentioned.
“I feel the primary message (to counter extremism) is de facto to change into a accountable citizen,” she added.
“And a part of being a citizen is to know the affect of the net atmosphere on oneself and on the individuals round us.”
Hatfield wrote a manifesto outlining a variety of grievances in opposition to capitalism, pornography and bourgeois society, and a hatred of girls aligned with the incel or “involuntarily celibate” mindset.
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The College of Lethbridge confirmed Hatfield was a pupil on the college, and a web-based honour roll exhibits he studied philosophy.
The Holy Spirit Catholic College Division confirmed in an electronic mail Wednesday that Hatfield was a former pupil. Catholic Central Excessive College in Lethbridge included Hatfield in an inventory of its 2019 graduates.
“We mourn the lives misplaced and our ideas, hearts, and prayers exit to all those that have been impacted by this devastating act,” mentioned the assertion from Chantel Axani, the division’s superintendent.
Lethbridge police have mentioned they’re helping investigators in Montreal.
On Tuesday, officers performed a high-risk search of a house about two kilometres from the college. A information launch mentioned as a result of doable presence of weapons, police had evacuated some neighbouring properties as a precaution.
“We perceive many members of our neighborhood are deeply troubled by the actual fact the topic is from Lethbridge and there are numerous unanswered questions,” police mentioned.
— With recordsdata from The Related Press
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