His online activity suggests that Seth Hatfield, the suspected perpetrator of the Montreal shooting, was watching videos about weapons, outdoor activities, and a range of conspiracy theories and claims.
However, experts warn against drawing any hasty conclusions about the shooter.
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They also urge the public to stop sharing images on the Internet of the shooting that occurred Monday in front of a Montreal hotel.
Police said two officers were shot: one was killed, as well as a passerby, while the gunman died in the exchange of fire.
Quebec media reported that Seth Hatfield had written a manifesto expressing his hatred of women and calling for more violence.
An account named “S Hatfield” left a review on Google regarding a watch repair shop in Lethbridge, the southern Alberta city where, according to Quebec authorities, 25-year-old Hatfield lived.
The account used for this Google review featured a profile picture depicting a white wolf on a black background.
The same image is used on a LinkedIn profile associated with an account named “S Hatfield”, located in Lethbridge, as well as on a now-deleted YouTube account whose username was “Seth Hatfield”.
Screenshots from 2023 show that this YouTube account was subscribed to channels dedicated to fishing and firearms and had a playlist of 51 videos.
More than a dozen of these videos were excerpts dating back six or seven years, made by Paul Joseph Watson, former editor of Alex Jones’ Infowars platform, a proponent of conspiracy theories.
In 2018, Watson joined the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which the Canadian Security Intelligence Service cites as an example of contemporary right-wing extremism in Europe.
In videos compiled on this YouTube account, Watson attacks immigration policies, feminism, and popular music. The playlist includes a four-year-old video claiming that “Germanic nations” were undergoing a process of “extermination and replacement.” This same video features Nazi imagery and suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned.
David Hofmann, a lecturer in sociology at the University of New Brunswick, said these videos were characteristic of the “à la carte extremism” common among lone-wolf perpetrators.
According to him, these people tend to select theories that correspond to their grievances and to “cobble together their own ideology.”
He did, however, specify that information concerning Hatfield continued to pour in and that the motives for the shooting had not yet been established.
Dr. Ghayda Hassan, a clinical psychologist and director of the Canadian Practitioner Network for the Prevention of Violent Extremism, endorsed Hofmann’s description of “à la carte extremism.”
“We see that some of these people use all sorts of theories — replacement theories, conspiracy theories, Nazi theories, Marxist theories (…) — to create a narrative that, at its core, makes sense of their grievances,” she commented in an interview.
On the internet, there are countless theories to choose from, she added. Shocking videos and images of the Montreal shooting are also circulating online, which, according to Hassan, could lead to further violence.
“The more people share this content, the more extremists or vulnerable individuals will use it to indoctrinate others,” said Hassan. “I think the main message (for combating extremism) is really about becoming a responsible citizen. And being a responsible citizen means, among other things, understanding the impact of the online environment on oneself and on those around us.”
The city of Lethbridge thrown off balance
Some media outlets reported that Hatfield had written a manifesto outlining a wide range of grievances against capitalism, pornography and bourgeois society, as well as a hatred of women in line with the logic of “incels”.
The University of Lethbridge has confirmed that Hatfield was a student at that institution, and an online honor roll indicates that he was studying philosophy.
The Holy Spirit Catholic School Division confirmed in an email on Wednesday that Hatfield was an alumnus. Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge included Hatfield in its 2019 graduating class.
“We mourn the lives lost and our thoughts, hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by this devastating act,” said Chantel Axani, general manager of the division, in a statement.
Lethbridge police indicated they were assisting investigators in Montreal.
Officers conducted a high-risk search Tuesday at a house located about two kilometers from the university. A press release indicated that, due to the possible presence of weapons, police evacuated some nearby homes as a precaution.
“We understand that many members of our community are deeply troubled by the fact that the suspect is from Lethbridge and that there are still many unanswered questions,” police said.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
