The trial of two men accused of conspiracy to commit murder at the Coutts, Alta., border blockade took an unexpected turn on Friday when a full day of evidence was replaced by legal arguments without the jury present. Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert are charged with plotting to kill police officers during the protest in early 2022. They were arrested after RCMP found a cache of guns, body armor, and ammunition in trailers.
RCMP Sgt. Greg Tulloch, who acted as a liaison with the protesters, was scheduled to complete his testimony on Friday. However, the court spent the day discussing matters that are subject to a publication ban. Media are not permitted to report anything that occurs when the jury is not in the courtroom.
In his opening statements, a Crown prosecutor alleged that the two men conspired to kill police officers and were preparing for what they believed was an inevitable and violent event. The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday.
The blockade paralyzed traffic at the busy Canada-United States border crossing for two weeks as part of broader protests against government restrictions and vaccine mandates implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
