In the video, which has been taken down, the individual brandishes a handgun, although it is uncertain if it is real or a fake. The man threatens to “clean the province of Quebec” because “Islam has harmed us enough.”
Vice News reported the video to Quebec police, saying the man spoke in a “Quebecois-sounding accent.” After the man’s arrest, Quebec police told 48 Hours’ Crimesider the gun is an air pistol, although the man says in French that he will shoot each Arab in the head.
While the individual said on the video he had 10 accomplices to help in killing Arabs, police say there is no proof at this time, and the man appeared to be acting alone. Canada has seen an upsurge in Islamophobia since the Paris terror attacks, as have other countries around the world.
Montreal police spokesperson André Leclerc said, “His home was targeted by a police investigation, and this morning at 1 a.m. it was raided,” Leclerc added that a Joker costume and other items were taken from the home. While the police say the man will be unidentified, The Star is reporting the individual is 24-year-old Jesse Pelletier.
Pelletier is quoted as saying on the video, “Starting next week, there will be murders across Quebec. We will eliminate one Arab each week to get rid of them and clean up the province of Quebec. We are a group of 10 people and we will all eliminate them, one by one.”
Pelletier appeared in Montreal court Wednesday afternoon in a wheelchair, the result of a congenital bone defect and another recent accident. He was arrested at his home early on Wednesday where he lives with his wife and young son. Pelletier’s lawyer, Audrey Amzallag, says Pelletier should not be in jail.
Amzallag says Pelletier is mad at himself and scared by how the case has grown “out of proportion.” The lawyer adds, “I don’t think this is a person that deserves to be in jail. I understand these are very severe accusations, but I do not think personally this is a person who should be in jail.”
