EDMONTON -- A Parkland County, Alta., man is facing 34 charges after social media posts allegedly threatening police and the public, the RCMP said.
Kelvin Gregory Maure, 26, is facing several firearm and weapon charges and is also accused of impersonating a police officer after Mounties seized an RCMP shirt during a search warrant.
Maure had been on the RCMP's radar since September 2020, police said in a release.
"In January 2021, Maure displayed escalating behaviour leading investigators to believe he presented a threat to critical infrastructure, police, and the public," the release reads.
"Maure is alleged to have made several online posts with comments and photographs deemed to be a threat to critical infrastructure, the police and the public. These online activities together with other actions taken by Maure resulted in RCMP taking him into custody."
He was arrested in mid-February after a multi-day operation in the area of Township Road 540 and Range Road 20.
READ MORE: Police operation enters second day in Parkland County, 1 in custody
Mounties then executed search warrants at several properties and found firearms, explosives and the RCMP shirt.
“An ever increasing concern and challenge faced by law enforcement is the use of the internet and social media as a platform to inspire, radicalize or espouse extremist messaging or calls for violence,” said Insp. Scott Isaac with the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET).
“As experienced in this recent investigation, the accused was interacting online with like-minded individuals in posting extreme views that ultimately escalated towards him engaging in criminal activity that posed a considerable risk to public and police safety, ultimately resulting in his arrest. As the investigation continues, we are attempting to determine whether the accused’s actions were motivated by a specific ideology or if there were broader intentions to his activities.”
In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, a family member of Maure's said: “It’s been a shock to all of us. All the information. We knew nothing of this.”
Maure is in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on May 12.
