Articles by Stewart Bell

Jan 26 2022 — Stewart Bell — Global News — A government report on Chinese espionage activities in Canada accuses Beijing of engaging in a “systematic campaign of intelligence-gathering, persuasion, influence, and manipulation” against the Chinese community. In the report obtained by Global News, Canadian officials alleged the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office was tasked with “influencing or manipulating” community members, and using “coercive tactics” against […]

Aug 23 2021 — Stewart Bell — Far-right extremist groups are “actively recruiting” past and present members of the military and police, according to a declassified Canadian intelligence report obtained by Global News. The report cited 17 examples in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany and New Zealand which “illustrate the intersections and relationships between ideologically motivated violent extremism and uniformed personnel.” Six […]

Jul 26 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Prosecutors have approved charges against a captured Canadian ISIS fighter, according to documents that show how federal officials have dealt with citizens detained in Syria. The approved charges are the first known to have been authorized against a Canadian member of the so-called Islamic State caught in Syria. They were disclosed in records released to […]

Jun 22 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — A former Toronto IT worker, known as the “voice of ISIS” because he narrated its gruesome execution videos, is being investigated by the RCMP for “serious terrorism offences,” a court document unsealed Tuesday reveals. The RCMP alleged in the top-secret affidavit it had reason to believe Mohammed Khalifa, a Canadian citizen captured in Syria by […]

May 6 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Gary Vos Smith thought he was proposing a sensible precaution against the spread of COVID-19 when he began advocating for mandatory masking at Canadian intelligence headquarters. As an intelligence officer who manages three teams at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Ottawa, he reasoned that requiring masks would keep everyone safe and ease anxieties.

Mar 17 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — The intelligence analysts at RCMP headquarters had scored a string of successes by the time Cameron Ortis became their boss in 2016, but then things went downhill. After Ortis took over the RCMP’s National Intelligence Coordination Centre, staff said they faced harassment and inappropriate and demeaning comments, causing morale to plummet. “It was a terrible, […]

Jan 20 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — A company run by a man on Canada’s no-fly list for allegedly financing terrorism and another barred from government national security contracts over alleged links to Indian intelligence were among the recipients of federal COVID-19 relief funds, records show. Yellow Car Rental and Life Prediction Technologies were both recipients of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy […]

Jan 11 2021 — Stewart Bell — Global News — The bulk of the online platforms used by the Canadian branches of the Proud Boys were gone on Monday, as the group faced mounting pressure in the wake of last week’s violence in the U.S. capital. The Proud Boys Canada page, as well as those of the Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and three other regional chapters, […]

Dec 7 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Extremist groups have been promoting disinformation about COVID-19 in an attempt to capitalize on the pandemic, according to declassified Canadian intelligence files obtained by Global News. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-government extremists, in particular, have been using COVID-19 conspiracy theories to attract followers, raise money and encourage violence, the documents said.

Dec 4 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Conspiracy theories linking 5G technology to COVID-19 have become so pervasive that Canada’s intelligence service is warning of possible extremist attacks on sites associated with the wireless network. A confidential Canadian Security Intelligence Service report obtained by Global News anticipates that “ideologically motivated violent” (IMV) extremists may target 5G sites. “As companies begin 5G infrastructure […]

Nov 2 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — A Quebec woman who allegedly sent a letter laced with deadly ricin to U.S. President Donald Trump is too dangerous to be released on bail, according to prosecutors. U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin argued in a submission filed in court that Pascale Ferrier’s detention was necessary for public safety and to ensure she did not flee […]

Oct 5 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Canadian officials removed an orphaned girl from an ISIS detention camp in northeastern Syria on the weekend, her lawyer told Global News on Monday. The girl, known as Amira, is the first Canadian to be repatriated from Syrian camps for ISIS detainees. The daughter of suspected Canadian ISIS supporters killed in 2019, Amira was handed […]

Aug 13 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — When the Toronto-based tech company Tucows Inc. discovered it was providing domain registration services to the Pakistani Taliban, it immediately contacted the RCMP for guidance. Days later, it was still waiting for a response. By Tuesday, it had waited long enough and took action on its own, disabling the website’s domain.

May 7 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Canadian officials have launched a court action to prevent the disclosure of what they describe as “sensitive information” in the Meng Wanzhou extradition case. In a Federal Court application, the officials argued that a document they were ordered to hand to the Chinese executive’s legal team “would injure national security” if it were disclosed.

Apr 17 2020 — Stewart Bell — Global News — Indian intelligence agents attempted to use money and disinformation to “covertly influence” Canadian politicians, according to a highly sensitive government document obtained by Global News. The document shows that Canadian security officials suspected India’s two main intelligence branches had asked an Indian citizen to sway politicians in this country into supporting Indian government interests. The […]