Vancouver home of Samidoun founder reportedly raided by police

Article content

The Vancouver home of Charlotte Kates, founder of terrorist entity Samidoun, was reportedly raided by police on Thursday.

Neighbours told Global News they heard loud sounds around 9 a.m. near 1st Avenue and Victoria Drive and saw Vancouver Police Department’s Emergency Response Team outside a home in the area. The publication identified the location as a residence of Kates, although it was not confirmed by authorities.

Article content

Through a Corporations Canada database search, The Canadian Press said it found that the address of Samidoun was in the same block searched by police. Kates was named as the terrorist group’s director and her address was listed as its office, per CP.

“The Vancouver Police Major Crime Section, with assistance from the VPD Emergency Response Team, executed a search warrant yesterday…as part of an ongoing hate crime investigation under Section 319 of the Criminal Code,” the Vancouver police said in a statement over email to the National Post on Friday.

One person was initially taken into custody and “has now been released pending completion of the investigation,” per the statement. That person has not been identified.

During the raid, a neighbour told Global News that a flash-bang grenade, an explosive device that produces a blinding flash of light and a loud noise, was used and windows of the home were broken.

Some residents called the police presence and use of the flash-bang grenade excessive. However, Vancouver police spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told Global News its emergency response team is “often used in the execution of search warrants when we believe there could be a risk to the public or a risk to the officers.”

Article content

Last month, on Oct. 15, Samidoun was listed as a terrorist group under Canada’s criminal code. Samidoun, also known as Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, “claims to be campaigning for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails,” per its description by the federal government.

“Many Palestinian prisoners for which Samidoun advocates for release have ties to terrorism, assassinations and countless attacks against Israel. Samidoun’s ideology revolves exclusively around the worldview that Israel and Zionism are the greatest danger to the Middle East and the world,” according to Public Safety Canada.

Kates was previously arrested for praising the October 7 attack in Israel, when Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis. At a rally in Vancouver in April, she chanted, “Long live October 7.”

In August, she travelled to Iran to receive a human rights award.

No charges have been laid against Kates. In October, the B.C. Prosecution Service told the Vancouver Sun it was still reviewing a police report.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.

Share this article in your social network