Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
A North Rustico, P.E.I., man already under a terrorism peace bond is now facing what police say are the first terrorism charges ever laid in Atlantic Canada.
Daniel Desmond Crowder is facing two charges in connection with 3D-printed firearms and issuing threats, RCMP said in a news release Wednesday.
The charges include:
- Knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity by possessing weapons and manufacturing firearms and firearm components.
- Possessing weapons, 3D-printing equipment, tire puncturing devices, instructional literature and guides on manufacturing an AR-15, manufactured firearms and firearms components, intending that they be used, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, for the purpose of facilitating or carrying out a terrorist activity.
Police have charged a 51-year-old man from North Rustico with terrorism, a first in Atlantic Canada. Daniel Desmond Crowder was already under strict surveillance leading up to his recent arrest. CBC’s Laura Meader reports.
“Mr. Crowder was making threats online to people and organizations, and with this 3D printer, he was printing components for weapons that are illegal in Canada,” Cpl. Erique Gasse, media relations officer for Eastern Region RCMP, told CBC News.
“All that together, when we talk with Public Prosecution Service of Canada, we are now comfortable to lead those charges against that individual.”
Crowder had been under a one-year terrorism peace bond that took effect Aug. 18. The bond, a tool rarely used in Atlantic Canada, is one of the measures police say they used to keep the community safe during the investigation. It remains in effect.
Police say Crowder is in custody and there is no evidence of any ongoing risk to the public.
“This case should not be seen as reflective of broader trends in our community,” the RCMP release reads.
“P.E.I. remains one of the safest places in Canada, and this case demonstrates police readiness to respond to even the most serious threats.”
More charges already before the court
The two terrorism charges come on top of multiple charges already laid against Crowder earlier this year related to manufacturing firearms (allegedly using a 3D printer), weapons possession and uttering threats. The charges were related to evidence found when police executed a search warrant at a home in central P.E.I.
Lee-Ann Conrod, senior Crown counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, said Crowder had been on release under the peace bond until Monday, when he was arrested on the new charges and brought before the court. He has been held in custody since.
A rare terrorism peace bond means 51-year-old veteran Daniel Desmond Crowder has agreed to about two pages of conditions restricting his freedom. He can’t go on the internet or have a cellphone or other electronic communication device, and he has to wear a monitoring device at his home in North Rustico, P.E.I. As CBC’s Laura Meader reports, he will also be getting many visits from police.
Crowder will appear again Thursday when the court will set a date for a bail hearing, if one is requested. Conrod added that there is a publication ban on details relating to the bail hearing.
“There’s very limited information at this time that’s public, and that’s just to ensure fairness of the ongoing proceedings,” she said. “All that I can say is that the Crown is opposed to Mr. Crowder’s release pending trial.”
Until a bail hearing is set, Crowder will remain in custody.
He is also scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9 for arraignment on the federal terrorism charges. His provincial charges — handled separately by P.E.I.’s Crown — are also going before the court that same day.
Conrod said investigators could not lay terrorism charges earlier because the process requires extensive evidence gathering and specialized approvals, and that terrorism charges cannot proceed without the consent of the attorney general of Canada.
Terrorism prosecutions uncommon in Canada
Conrod said the Attorney General of Canada consented to the start of terrorism proceedings against six individuals across the country in the 2024-25 year, according to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada’s annual report.
“I would say nationally it’s also not a common prosecution.”
As of March 31, the PPSC had 22 national security prosecutions before the courts, including 16 terrorism prosecutions, she said.
Gasse said that while such cases are uncommon, online threats have become more frequent.
“Unfortunately it could be more common within the next years,” he said.
RCMP encourage the public to report any information about terrorism or suspicious activity to the National Security Information Network at 1-800-420-5805, online at the RCMP portal or to local police. Anyone facing an immediate threat should call 911.
