Canadian Police Warn of Copycat Risk After Fatal Montreal Shooting

Canadian police are warning of possible copycat attacks after three people died in a shooting in Montreal. The suspect left a lengthy manifesto calling for 'a new bloodbath,' which was published online by a far-right news site.

The shocking incident occurred Monday in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, where a man dressed in military camouflage carrying a rifle was spotted moving through the area. When police arrived, nearly 30 shots were fired. The shootout killed one officer and the suspect.

Witness video reviewed by The Guardian suggests police may have accidentally shot and killed a civilian during the exchange. Another officer was seriously wounded but is expected to survive. Quebec's Independent Investigations Bureau (BEI) is probing the deaths.

The 104-page manifesto, later published in full by Rebel News, does not explicitly target police but blames feminism, liberalism, and capitalism for what the suspect described as 'terrible loneliness, isolation and social degradation' facing men. The document contains grievances typical of the involuntary celibate ('incel') movement, along with racist and misogynistic conspiracy theories.

The manifesto also lists what it calls 'legitimate Grade A targets,' including major investment banks, powerful politicians, 'influential Zionists,' private healthcare CEOs, companies involved in environmental destruction, cosmetic surgeons, and cryptocurrency speculators. It also mentions targeting 'headquarters of international pornography companies.' The document ends with the words: 'Be tough, move forward and KILL THEM ALL!'

Following the shooting, Canada's federal police sent a bulletin to law enforcement agencies nationwide, warning that the suspect's manifesto 'is believed to encourage citizens to shoot at police.' The alert urged officers to 'exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant at all times.'

Montreal police identified the slain officer as Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, who joined the force in 2021. The civilian killed, Michel Mizrahi, was confirmed by the Israeli consulate in Montreal to be an Israeli citizen. Footage reviewed by The Guardian appears to show an officer accidentally shooting Mizrahi.

Quebec Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said, 'There is some chatter, some information suggesting the civilian was shot by a police officer. This is not the kind of information we can share at this time,' adding that the oversight body is investigating.

The fatal shooting marks the third time this month a Canadian police officer has been killed in the line of duty. Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were also shot and wounded Monday in Saskatchewan during a property dispute.

In recent years, Canada has seen a string of attacks seemingly inspired by the extreme incel ideology. In 2018, a van driver killed 10 people and injured more than a dozen others in Toronto. The perpetrator of a 2020 machete attack at a Toronto spa that killed one woman and seriously injured another was also driven by this ideology, marking the first incel-related incident in Canada to be classified as terrorism by a court.

The country is also still grappling with the aftermath of the 1989 attack at Montreal's Polytechnique engineering school, where a young man entered the building with a semi-automatic rifle, killed 14 women and wounded 14 others (including four men) before turning the gun on himself.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette told reporters she was 'profoundly shocked and saddened' by Monday's attack and ordered Quebec flags flown at half-mast. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'horrified' by the shooting. 'My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, the first responders, and the entire Côte-des-Neiges community.' Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada offered her 'deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the officer who died in the line of duty.'