Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
A protester arrested at the border blockade in Coutts, Alta., was surprised when police told him he was being charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
A video statement from Anthony Olienick after his arrest on February 14, 2022, was played at a jury trial on Monday.
The officer told him he was charged with mischief over $5,000, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, obstruction of critical infrastructure and conspiracy to commit murder.
“Conspiracy to commit murder… that’s a new one, right?” said the officer.
“It means that you, along with at least one other person, planned the RCMP murders.”
“No way,” replied Olienick.
“Tell me what that means to you,” said the officer.
“I don’t know. It seems very strange. Just protesting for freedom to park trucks,” said Olienick.
Olienick and co-accused Chris Carbert are accused of conspiring to kill Mounties in the blockade, which paralyzed traffic for two weeks at a busy crossing between Canada and the United States.
The blockade was one of several protests held across the country over the COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates.
The men were arrested after Mounties found a cache of guns, body armor and ammunition in trailers in Coutts.
In the video, Olienick sits in an interview room alone for a long period of time.
His lawyer refused to allow the prosecution to skip ahead to when the interview would restart.
“I think it’s important for it to be played so the jury can prove it like Mr. Olienick did,” Marilyn Burns said.
Justice David Labrenz instructed the five-man, nine-man jury that before the video was played, they must not read too much into the belief systems or world views expressed by the two men when considering the video as evidence.
“You should never, in the course of this matter, infer from evidence of character or tendency that one or the other of the accused is more likely to have committed the crimes charged against them,” he said.
“The one accused is not on trial for their belief systems or their ideas about the world or their opinion in terms of the world order. They are only on trial in relation to the charges on the indictment.”
Undercover officers previously testified that Olienick considered the siege a war, and expressed hatred of the police and a desire to kill officers.
Olienick and Carbert have also been charged with mischief and having a weapon in their possession for a dangerous purpose. Olienick faces another charge of possession of a pipe bomb.
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This report was first published by The Canadian Press on June 24, 2024.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/no-way-accused-at-coutts-blockade-surprised-by-murder-conspiracy-charge-1.6938984
