Police in Canada have warned of the risk of copycat attacks after a deadly shootout in Montreal left three people dead, and a 104-page manifesto linked to the gunman was published online.
The document, later posted in full, contains racist and misogynistic conspiracy theories along with many of the familiar grievances associated with the so-called incel movement. Authorities said the text was allegedly encouraging citizens to shoot police officers, prompting Canada's federal police to send a bulletin to agencies across the country urging officers to remain highly vigilant and exercise extreme caution.
Fear spread across Montreal on Monday after a man dressed in military camouflage and carrying a long gun was seen moving through the Côte-des-Neige neighbourhood. Gunfire erupted shortly afterwards, and by the time police reached the scene, nearly 30 shots had been heard. One police officer and the gunman were killed in the exchange, while a civilian also died during the incident.
Police fear the manifesto could inspire further violence
The warning from police came after the manifesto began circulating publicly in the aftermath of the attack. According to Canada's federal police, the document was allegedly encouraging people to target officers, even though the text itself does not explicitly single out police as a main focus. Instead, the shooter used the manifesto to rail against feminism, liberalism, and capitalism, which he blamed for what he described as 'a situation of terrible loneliness, isolation, and social degradation' faced by men.
The document also set out what the author called 'valid potential class A targets.' Among those listed were large investment banks, powerful politicians, 'influential Zionists,' corporate executives in private healthcare, companies involved in environmental destruction, plastic surgeons, and cryptocurrency speculators. It also mentioned 'the headquarters of international pornography companies' as possible targets. The final line of the manifesto read: 'Be unflinching, go forth, and KILL THEM ALL!'
The publication of the document has sharpened concerns that the Montreal shooting could have consequences beyond the city itself. In its bulletin to police forces across Canada, federal police warned that the manifesto's circulation could raise the risk of imitation attacks, particularly because of its call to violence and its online availability.
Montreal police later identified the officer killed in the shooting as 34-year-old Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, who had served with the force since 2021. Another officer was critically injured in the gunfire but is expected to survive. The civilian who died, Michel Mizrahi, was identified by Israel's consulate in Montreal as an Israeli citizen.
Questions remain over the civilian's death
As the city mourned the officer who was killed, the circumstances surrounding the death of Mizrahi quickly became a major part of the investigation. Video recorded by witnesses and viewed by the Guardian appears to show an officer accidentally shooting the civilian during the exchange of fire. That footage has now added to scrutiny over exactly what happened in the moments when police confronted the gunman.
Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, is investigating the deaths. Quebec's domestic security minister, Ian Lafrenière, acknowledged that reports had circulated suggesting the civilian may have been shot by police, but said that was not information authorities were prepared to confirm publicly while the investigation remained ongoing. He said: 'There have been some rumors, there has been some information stating that the civilian was shot by a police officer. This is not the kind of information that we can share at this moment.'
The shooting has also landed against a troubling backdrop for law enforcement in Canada. Benredouane's death marked the third time a Canadian police officer had been killed while on duty this month. On the same day as the Montreal attack, two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were also shot and wounded in Saskatchewan during a property dispute.
The case has also revived attention on violent attacks in Canada linked to extremist misogynistic ideology. In 2018, a van driver killed 10 people and injured more than a dozen in Toronto in an attack linked to incel beliefs. In 2020, a machete attack at a Toronto spa that left one woman dead and another seriously injured was also found to have been motivated by the same ideology, becoming the first incel-related incident in Canada to be treated by the courts as an act of terrorism.
Canada is still living with the legacy of the 1989 massacre at Montreal's Polytechnique engineering school, where a gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle killed 14 women and injured 14 others before taking his own life. Monday's attack has now forced the country to confront another case in which misogynistic and extremist beliefs appear to sit at the centre of deadly violence.
Political leaders reacted with shock as the investigation continued. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she was 'deeply shocked and saddened' and ordered the province's flag to fly at half mast. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'horrified' when he learned of the shooting and offered his thoughts to the victims, their loved ones, first responders, and the wider Côte-des-Neiges community. Montreal mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also paid tribute to the slain officer, extending her condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.
