US embassy cable - 04MONTREAL1555

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONTREAL 001555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2014 
TAGS: ENRG, PTER, PBTS, CA, Terrorism, Energy 
SUBJECT: HYDRO QUEBEC PYLON VANDALIZED 
 
REF: REF: 03 OTTAWA 2558 
 
Classified By: PRINCIPAL OFFICER BERNADETTE M. ALLEN; Reason: 1.4 
 
1. (C) Thierry Vandal, President of Hydro Quebec,s 
Production division, described the recent vandalism at a 
Hydro Quebec pylon about a mile from the U.S. border, near 
Coaticook in Quebec,s Eastern Townships, as the work of 
&amateurs.8  In a 12/7 meeting with the Quebec City Consul 
General, Montreal PAO and FSN Assistant, Vandal noted that 
the perpetrators of the action had placed explosives at the 
base of an electricity transmission line pylon which was one 
of several in a straight line that is part of the 
Radisson-Sandy Point, Massachusetts direct current 
transmission line.  But the explosion caused no noticeable 
break in power transmission, because the line itself was not 
damaged.  Vandal said that a more knowledgable or determined 
actor would have caused much more damage by attacking a 
transmission substation or a more vulnerable part of the 
pylon. 
 
2. (U) The security incident, which is being investigated by 
the provincial Quebec police, the Surete du Quebec, has 
generated some media coverage, particularly after news 
organizations in Quebec and elsewhere received an email claim 
of responsibility (in French) on Saturday evening (12/4) 
signed by a group calling itself &l,Initiative de 
Resistance Internationaliste8 (IRI). 
 
3. (U) An excerpt of the email, which was sent from a Yahoo 
account, published in the media, translates:  This sabotage 
action, that the democratic authorities hid from the 
population during the visit of the Dictator in Chief is our 
response to the ease with which the State mocks the popular 
opposition(. By this operation, we are concretely displaying 
our refusal to be passive witnesses of the waste and pillage 
of resources to profit from the United States empire.  We are 
acting against our gross exploitation by Hydro Quebec for the 
benefit of private enterprises who profit from each 
opportunity that imperialism provides.8 
 
4. (U) In addition to Quebec media outlets, the email 
reportedly was sent to international news organizations 
including the New York Times and al-Jazeera.  The message 
referenced the situations in Iraq, Bolivia, Colombia and the 
Middle East:  &We refuse to allow all the weight of 
resistance to fall on the noble Iraqi people, who are being 
massacred because they were an obstacle to the American 
energy hegemony, or to the Bolivian peasants courageously 
mobilizing against the pillage of their gas resources, even 
risking their lives.  We also refuse to let the Colombian and 
Palestinian people confront the imperial army alone, whether 
or not it is hidden behind a national banner.8 
 
5. (C) Montreal Consulate DHS Senior Agent (MTL/DHS SA) has 
learned from Surete du Quebec contacts and DHS Immigration 
and Customs Enforcement colleagues that a hunter in the area 
had reported the damage to Hydro Quebec, the provincial 
electricity utility on November 28.  The utility had last 
checked the pylon on November 1, according to the SQ.  The 
hunter, apparently concerned that HQ was not taking action, 
placed a second call on December 1, prompting HQ to ask the 
Surete to investigate. 
 
6. (C) At the request of MTL/DHS SA, the Derby Line border 
port of entry Resident Agent in Charge (RAC) walked to the 
damaged pylon (about a mile from the POE) on December 2 and 
encountered SQ officers who were in the process of securing 
the site.  The RAC said that rocks had been used to hold the 
explosives in place around each of the four pylon tower legs; 
the blast apparently caused the central pole to move but not 
fall. 
 
7. (C) MTL/DHS SA has since heard from SQ contacts that the 
perpetrators used 12 sticks of dynamite in the operation.  SQ 
investigators are questioning whether the so-called &IRI8 
group claiming responsibility was actually involved in the 
vandalism.  So far, the SQ has learned that the email was 
sent from a caf on St. Laurent street in Montreal; they 
believe the sender was a young, highly-educated, Francophone, 
female. 
 
8. (C) Vandal said that in response to the incident, HQ has 
raised its security levels to the utility,s equivalent of 
Code Orange.  In consultation with the North American 
Electricity Reliability Council (NERC), presently chaired by 
former HQ Chairman and CEO Richard Drouin, HQ is putting 
special emphasis on the protection of substations.  Vandal 
said that the possibility of several pylons falling 
simultaneously was not particularly worrisome as disruptions 
to service could be quickly resolved.  Pylons located on HQ 
right-of-ways are relatively easy to approach and access. 
Vandal said that an attack on a substation would be a much 
greater cause for concern. 
ALLEN 
ALLEN