GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alta. – RCMP have arrested a man as part of their investigation into allegations that a group of self-proclaimed sovereign citizens have taken over a trapper’s cabin in northwestern Alberta.
Police say Paul Fiola, who is believed to be from Manitoba, was arrested Monday afternoon.
He faces charges of uttering threats, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and possession of a firearm while prohibited from having one.
Police say two firearms and ammunition were seized and officers stayed on scene while the man was evicted from the area by Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers.
RCMP say the arrest was related to complaints made by trappers about some people in the area.
Last week, police said the individuals may have been associated with the so-called Freemen-on-the-Land movement.
Alberta Environment says in May it tried to evict people living in tents on Crown land in the area and that it had received reports that the people had moved into at least one trappers cabin.
The FBI considers the Freeman movement a domestic terror threat in the United States, but followers in Canada have said they do not support violence.
Last month, police in Calgary arrested a man on outstanding warrants who had claimed a duplex as his embassy, changed the locks and refused to leave.
Andreas Pirelli had been in the home for nearly two years.
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