Americas

Canada designates ‘Three Percenters’ a terrorist group

Canada designated the U.S.-based right-wing militia Three Percenters as a terrorist group on Friday.

The group was added to the list of terrorist entities under the nation’s Criminal Code, the government said in a statement.

In its listing for the group, the government wrote: “Three Percenters have been linked to bomb plots targeting United States federal government buildings and Muslim communities.”

The Three Percenters was founded in 2008 and is based on the belief that only 3 percent of Americans fought alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War. The group is also believed to have a presence in Canada.

The Canadian government said Friday that two members of the group were linked to a plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) last year, which involved blowing up a bridge near the governor’s home to hinder the response of law enforcement officials.

The two members  Adam Fox and Barry Croft  are among six men who face federal charges in connection with the plot. About a dozen people have been charged at the state and federal level over the plot.

The Canadian government also noted that in November 2015, a member of the Three Percenters was convicted of shooting five men at a Black Lives Matter demonstration.

Friday’s move comes after the Canadian government listed the Proud Boys as a terrorist group in February in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The listing — which was largely symbolic given the organization’s small presence in Canada — came a week after some of the group’s members were hit with the first conspiracy charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot.