Websites suggest conspiracies fed accused Montreal gunman's 'buffet extremism'

Lethbridge police conduct a search of a home along Lemoyne Crescent, in Lethbridge, Alta., on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Matthew Bruce

Online activity suggests accused Montreal shooter Seth Hatfield watched videos about weapons, the outdoors and a tangle of conspiracy theories and grievances.

However, experts warn against drawing conclusions about the gunman. They also urge people to stop sharing online images of Monday's shooting outside a Montreal hotel.

Police said two officers were shot — Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was killed along with a bystander, Michel Mizrahi, 68, and the shooter died in the crossfire.

The coroner identified the dead suspect as 25-year-old Seth Hatfield from Lethbridge, Alta.

A federal official said investigators are looking into the shooter's motivations and whether any conclusions can be drawn from a 104-page manifesto expressing hatred toward women and calling for violence.

The Canadian Press found metadata attached to the "Manifesto of June 22nd" that shows it was created June 8 by Seth Hatfield.

An account named S Hatfield also left a Google review of a watch repair shop in Lethbridge. The Google review's account used a profile image of a white wolf against a black background.

The same image is used in a LinkedIn profile for an account named S Hatfield, listed in Lethbridge, and for a now-deleted YouTube account with the username Seth Hatfield.

Site snapshots from 2023 show the YouTube account subscribed to channels about fishing and guns and had a playlist of 51 videos.

More than a dozen of those videos were six- or seven-year-old clips by Paul Joseph Watson, a former editor of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars platform. In 2018, Watson joined the UK Independence Party, which the Canadian Security Intelligence Service lists as an example of contemporary right-wing extremism in Europe.

In the videos gathered on the YouTube account, Watson takes aim at immigration policies, feminism and popular music. The playlist includes a four-year-old video claiming “Germanic nations” were in the midst of “extermination and replacement.” The same video has Nazi imagery and suggests the COVID-19 pandemic was planned.

David Hofmann, an associate sociology professor at the University of New Brunswick, said the videos are typical of the "buffet extremism" common for lone actors.

Hofmann said these people tend to pick and choose theories aligning with their grievances and "cobble together their own ideology."

But he said information about Hatfield is still emerging and motives for the shooting are not settled.

Dr. Ghayda Hassan, a clinical psychologist and director of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence, agreed with Hofmann's "buffet extremism" characterization.

"You will see some of these individuals use all sorts of theories — replacement theories, some conspiracy theories, Nazi theories, Marxist theories ... to create a narrative that basically makes sense for them when it comes to their grievances," she said in an interview.

Online, there are myriad theories to choose from, she said. Graphic video and pictures of the Montreal shooting have also been circulating online, which Hassan said could lead to more violence.

"The more people share those contents, the more extremist people or vulnerable people will use those contents to further groom other individuals," Hassan said.

"I think the main message (to counter extremism) is really to become a responsible citizen," she added. "And part of being a citizen is to understand the impact of the online environment on oneself and on the people around us."

The manifesto outlines a wide range of grievances against capitalism, pornography and bourgeois society, and a hatred of women aligned with the incel or "involuntarily celibate" mindset.

The University of Lethbridge confirmed Hatfield was a student at the school, and an online honour roll shows he studied philosophy.

The Holy Spirit Catholic School Division confirmed Wednesday that Hatfield was a former student. Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge included Hatfield in a list of its 2019 graduates.

Kennedy Loman, a 24-year-old lash technician, said she graduated from high school with Hatfield.

"He was really quiet," she said, adding she didn't talk with him but remembers seeing him around the school, often alone, wearing a black hoodie and jeans.

"He kept to himself ... he'd just be sitting in the cafeteria, not really around anybody."

She said she's not surprised the manifesto includes negative views about girls in high school, as some were horrible at their Lethbridge school and bullied their peers.

"You had to have a six-pack, you had be on the football team, you had to play sports, you had to have perfect skin, you had to have big biceps," she said.

Lethbridge police have said they're assisting investigators in Montreal.

On Tuesday, officers conducted a high-risk search of a home about two kilometres from the university. A news release said due to the possible presence of weapons, police had evacuated some neighbouring homes as a precaution.

"We understand many members of our community are deeply troubled by the fact the subject is from Lethbridge and there are many unanswered questions," police said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

— With files from Fakiha Baig in Edmonton and The Associated Press

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press