Six Seized with Flares, Tear Gas Before Quebec Meet
Updated: Wed, Apr 18 05:02 PM EDT


QUEBEC CITY (Reuters) - Six Canadians heading for the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City with flares, tear gas canisters and baseball bats were arrested on Wednesday after a long undercover operation, Quebec officials said.
Christine Mitton, of the province's public security department, said the men included one person serving in the Canadian military and one former soldier. They had been planning to disrupt the 34-nation summit, which starts on Friday and ends on Sunday.

"They had been conspiring for a while to launch a high-profile, dangerous coup to disrupt the activities of the Americas Summit," Mitton told Reuters ahead of a joint news conference by Canadian federal and provincial police.

"They were part of an activist group of students and workers, including one member of the Canadian military."

The six will appear in a Quebec City courthouse via video link late on Wednesday.

Security has been extremely tight in the run-up to the summit, which is due to discuss the creation of a free trade zone stretching from Canada to Chile.

Anti-globalization activists have promised large-scale demonstrations to protest against the meeting. Quebec authorities have erected a 4-meter (13-foot) chain-link fence around the main venues and cleared a jail for those they expect to arrest.

Officials said the six people had been seized with explosives and military-style equipment, including four tear gas bombs and military flares and thunderflashes, which explode with loud bangs and which police said could cause serious harm if released in a crowded place. They also had baseball bats, chains and stone launchers.

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