Tar sands/oil sands operations in Fort McMurray, Alberta have become a place where extremists can make some quick to cash to finance terrorist activities, Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht told Global News last week.
“It’s a place where you can go…and make some money very quickly,” Knecht said. “If you want to be anonymous or fly under the radar you can do that. Most of the companies have a security screening process, but some of these people have no history as far as a criminal record.”
Knecht said he couldn’t estimate the number of people who’ve passed through the tar sands/oil sands before joining extremist organizations overseas. But “obviously, the opportunity is there if people want to take advantage of it.”
“According to the RCMP, the gunman in the deadly Ottawa shooting was able to save a significant amount of money working in Alberta’s oil fields,” Global reports. “He had access to a considerable amount of funds,” said RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.
In a release following Knecht’s comments, the RCMP stressed that “the key issue of radicalization is not centred around a location, local economy, or other geographic concern,” adding that there is “no indication that Fort McMurray is more at risk than any other community.”
