Montreal shooting suspect followed conspiracy theorists online
Seth Scott Hatfield of Lethbridge posted disturbing imagery and created a 104-page manifesto weeks before the attack that killed a police officer and civilian.
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The digital trail of the alleged gunman in a fatal Montreal shooting reveals he followed conspiracy theorists online, created disturbing imagery, and authored a manifesto weeks before the attack that killed police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and civilian Michel Mizrahi.
Seth Scott Hatfield, 25, of Lethbridge, Alta., was confirmed as the suspect by Quebec coroner on Tuesday. Police operations in the Côte-des-Neiges area began Monday around 11:30 a.m., and an armed and dangerous suspect warning was issued shortly after.
The University of Lethbridge confirmed Hatfield was a student studying philosophy, with several of his online accounts linked to addresses near campus. A deleted YouTube account using his name contained a playlist of videos by conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson and content featuring anti-Soviet imagery and Holocaust denial.
Metadata attached to a 104-page document titled "Manifesto of June 22nd" shows it was created on June 8 using Microsoft Word under Hatfield's name — two weeks before Monday's attack. The document was not modified after its creation, according to timestamp analysis.
Other accounts connected to Hatfield included VSCO, where photos included partial selfies and images of fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman from American Psycho holding an axe, as well as the cover of Metallica's 1983 album Kill 'Em All — a phrase that echoes in the manifesto's closing.