Police in Canada have released footage of axe wielding attackers as they investigate a “calculated and organised” night-time raid on a remote work camp.
Up to 20 people are believed to have attacked Coastal GasLink’s pipeline construction camp last week on Marten Forest Service Road in British Columbia.
Dressed all in white, the attackers smashed vehicles with axes, including one vehicle with a security guard inside.
“I heard smashes on the back tailgate and when I looked in my mirror I could see one of them was holding an axe … it was terrifying,” said the employee, Trevor, in a release from the company.
The attackers spray painted the vehicle’s window and set off what was believed to be a flare gun. The group then hijacked heavy machinery, using it to destroy buildings and a drill pad. The company estimated that the cost of the damage was in millions of dollars.
The few workers at the camp were escorted to vehicles by security guards and driven to safety. No injuries were reported in the attack.
Night-time attack on controversial Canadian gas pipeline site
Police release video of attack on workers’ equipment at camp of Coastal GasLink, a 400-mile pipeline opposed by First Nation groups
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When police arrived, they found the service road blocked by trees, tar-covered stumps and a wooden board with spikes. Police say people in the forest threw smoke bombs and fire-lit sticks at them as they approached the camp.
“Because of the nightfall and the actual booby traps that were set up, and one of our members actually getting injured … the attackers just ended up disappearing into the forest,” Sascha Baldinger, a sergeant in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said on Saturday.
No suspects have been identified and no group has claimed responsibility.