When Anti-Authority Turns Deadly: The Coutts Plot

Attack Profile

On January 29, 2022, shortly after the Freedom Convoy protests began in Ottawa, a separate convoy of about a thousand vehicles travelled from Lethbridge to the border town of Coutts, Alberta, to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and public health measures. The demonstration led to a two-week blockade at a key Canada-US border crossing. In February 2022, police arrested Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert after finding firearms, ammunition, and body armour in a trailer where the men stayed during the protest. Law enforcement argued that the two men intended to use the Coutts blockade as a starting point for a broader uprising and were willing to resort to violence against the RCMP.

While both men were acquitted in August 2024 of conspiring to kill RCMP officers, they were convicted on other charges, including mischief and possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose. Olienick was also convicted of possessing a pipe bomb. The trial included evidence of messages expressing distrust of government, raising broader concerns about the influence of anti-government sentiment and conspiracy theories in Canada. Olienick and Carbert were also linked to the Diagolon network, having posted in the group’s Telegram chats, appearing in a photo with the group’s founder, and displaying the Diagolon logo on a tactical vests.

Keep reading to learn about the extensive weapons and equipment cache found during investigations into the plot.

Don’t forget that we had comprehensive analysis of Convoy financing. Check out the 12-part series:

1. Convoy Finance: Funding Protest

2. Convoy Finance: Sharing the Wealth

3. Convoy Finance: Digging in and diversifying away from GoFundMe

4. Convoy Finance: Creating Corporate Structures

5. Convoy Finance: Foreign Funding and Influence

6. Convoy Finance: Countering the Financing of Mischief

7. Convoy Finance: Emergencies Act Edition

8. A convoy finance timeline

9. Convoy Finance: Getting Real About Money

10. Convoy Finance: Assessing effectiveness and learning lessons

11. Convoy Finance: 25% Foreign Funded, but Questions Still Remain

12. Testimony at the Public Order Emergency Commission

Cost of Weapons, Ammunition, and Components

RCMP searches of Carbert’s trailer, where the men stayed during the protest, found a significant amount of firearms, ammunition, and explosive components. Among the weapons seized were 13 long guns, including .22-calibre Browning and Ruger rifles, 12-gauge Maverick and Browning shotguns, and a prohibited semi-automatic Panther Arms rifle. Two handguns and a machete were also recovered. Each of the guns would have cost between $500 to potentially upwards of $1500 for the illegal rifle in Alberta.