Members of a would-be "anti-government militia" had been amassing arms to seize land in Quebec City, police have said

Canadian police have detained two active servicemen and two other individuals with links to the country's military as part of an anti-terrorism case. The suspects allegedly sought to establish an "anti-government militia" and were in possession of a sizable arsenal of weapons.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the arrest of four men, "including active members of the Canadian Armed Forces," who are suspected of having plotted to "forcibly take possession of land in the Quebec City area."

In a separate statement cited by the media, the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed that two of the suspects were active-duty corporals, another one was a former member of the military, and the fourth man previously served as a civilian instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

According to the authorities, the group "took concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity," and participated in "military-style training." During raids on the suspects' homes in January 2024, arms caches were uncovered, containing a total of 83 firearms, including those prohibited under Canadian law, as well as ammunition, 16 explosive devices, and tactical equipment.

According to media reports, citing the police, the investigation was originally launched in 2023, with the cell having supposedly been active since 2021.

The authorities stated that the suspects used a private Instagram group to recruit people to join an anti-government uprising.

The RCMP's Erique Gasse characterized the case as "ideologically motivated violent extremism," as quoted by the Associated Press.

As a Francophone region in predominantly English-speaking Canada, Quebec has a decades-long history of separatist and secessionist movements, with some groups having resorted to violence in the past, particularly in the 1960s and early 1970s.

In May, authorities in Germany banned an extremist group known as the "Kingdom of Germany" and arrested four of its top members, including the group's self-declared "king," Peter Fitzek.

The group had allegedly established a "counter-state," operated unlicensed banking services and set up its own parallel legal system.

The "kingdom" was believed to be affiliated with the so-called Reichsburger (Reich Citizens) movement - a far-right conspiracy-driven network that denies the legitimacy of the modern German state.

In December 2022, German police detained two dozen suspects linked to a supposed "Reich Citizens" plot to overthrow the German government and restore the monarchy.

The suspects, including former military, police, and commando personnel, had been amassing weapons and trying to recruit supporters in the police and the military, according to the authorities.