Two people remain in custody following a raid on the so-called ‘Queen of Canada’ cult compound in rural Saskatchewan, which led to 16 people being arrested on Wednesday.
Saskatchewan RCMP have not laid any charges against the people arrested at the compound in Richmound, a village of approximately 120 people, about 365 kilometres west of Regina, near the Alberta border.
All 16 were released from custody and then a man and a woman were rearrested, RCMP said in a statement on Thursday. It is not known if cult leader Romana Didulo is in custody, as the RCMP declined to comment.
Officers seized 13 imitation semi-automatic handguns, ammunition, and a large number of electronic devices, during the search of the compound — a decommissioned elementary school where Didulo and her followers have been living for two years.
Since the cult, led by the self-professed ‘Queen of Canada’ Didulo, has been based in Richmound, there have been a number of complaints from locals, who accuse the group of harassing people and plotting to take over the town.
Didulo has spread various conspiracy theories through social media. In Oct. 2023, the group sent a Richmound administrator four “cease and desist” emails, which threatened village officials with “publicly broadcast execution.”
Yesterday, police executed an early morning raid on the privately-owned property, which has a large fence and extensive security system. They said the operation was launched after the RCMP received a report on Aug. 25 of one of the building’s occupants possessing a firearm.
The items seized during the raid are being examined and the investigation continues.
