October Crisis

The October Crisis was a series of dramatic events triggered by two terrorist kidnappings that occurred in Quebec, Canada, during the month of October, 1970. It included the brief declaration of emergency measures, some of which resembled martial law, under the War Measures Act.

Related Topics:
Terrorist - Quebec - Canada - Martial law - War Measures Act

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As a prelude to the dramatic events, since 1963, terrorists calling themselves the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) had committed over 200 violent crimes, including numerous bombings that killed several people, one of which was a major blast at the Montreal Stock Exchange on February 13, 1969 that injured 27 people. Further, they burgled military and industrial sites, accumulating several tons of dynamite. After many of these deeds, they made their warnings to the public of more murders and bombings to come through an official communication organ known as La Cognée. They funded their activities with armed bank hold-ups.

Related Topics:
1963 - Front de libération du Québec - Montreal Stock Exchange - February 13 - 1969

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By 1970, 23 members of the FLQ were in jail, including four convicted murderers. On February 26, 1970, two men in a panel truck were arrested in Montreal when they were discovered to have a sawed-off shotgun and a communiqué announcing the kidnapping of the Israeli consul. One of them was a man named Jacques Lanctôt. In June, police raided a home north of Montreal in the small community of Prévost in the Laurentian mountains and found firearms, 300 lb (136 kg) of dynamite, ammunition, detonators and the draft of a ransom note to be used in the kidnapping of the United States consul.

Related Topics:
February 26 - 1970 - Israeli - Jacques Lanctôt - Prévost - Laurentian mountains - United States

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