International Resistance Initiative

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The International Resistance Initiative (IRI - French: Initiative de résistance internationaliste) is an alleged terrorist organization that first surfaced in December 2004. Based on communiqués believed to originate from the group, the IRI appears to hold socialist, environmentalist and anti-American views. The group has claimed responsibility for two attacks, both on Canadian soil.

[edit] Hydro tower bombing

In 2004, shortly before U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Canada, a Hydro-Québec electric tower near the Canada-U.S. border in the province of Québec was damaged by explosive charges detonated at its base. The CBC reported that a message, purportedly from the IRI and issued to the La Presse and Le Journal de Montréal newspapers and the CKAC radio station, stated that the attack had been carried out to "denounce the 'pillaging' of Quebec's resources by the United States."[1]

[edit] Car firebombing

On Friday, August 4, 2006, a car belonging to Carol Montreuil, a spokesman for the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute, exploded in the town of Thérèse-De Blainville near Montréal, Québec. After having initially concluded that the explosion was the result of an electrical malfunction, the Sûreté du Québec provincial police force ordered an investigation by its anti-terrorism branch when a number of media outlets received an email from a source claiming to be the IRI. The email stated that the group had carried out the attack in protest against the actions of oil companies, in particular the alleged funding of "an imperialist army which is committing barbarous acts", an apparent reference to the war in Iraq. The CBC reported that the same email also contained accusations against the oil companies of consumer abuse and environmental degradation.[2] On August 18th of the same year, the Sûreté du Québec confirmed that the car was indeed firebombed, as claimed by the email. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation[1],Group claims responsibility for hydro tower bomb, 6 December 2004
  2. ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation[2],Quebec anti-terror squad probes oil exec's car blast, 8 August 2006.
  3. ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation[3],Police confirm oil exec's car was firebombed,18 August 2006.