On October 17, 1970, the Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ) announced that it had executed Pierre Laporte, deputy premier and labour minister of that Canadian province, according to BioBioChile. The murder occurred during the so-called October Crisis.
The FLQ was an armed group that began its violent activities in 1963, at the height of Quebec nationalism, the movement seeking greater autonomy or independence for Quebec, Canada's French-speaking province. According to the same outlet, the group carried out attacks, robberies and kidnappings, including an attack on the Montreal Stock Exchange in 1969.
In October 1970, the FLQ escalated its activities with two kidnappings. On October 5, it captured British diplomat James Cross. Five days later, another cell of the group kidnapped Laporte.
Faced with the crisis, the Quebec government, led by Robert Bourassa, requested federal intervention. Canada's prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (father of former prime minister Justin Trudeau), invoked the War Measures Act, an emergency law that expands the powers of the state.
Laporte's body was found in the trunk of a car. According to BioBioChile, the investigation later led to the discovery of the group responsible. The source does not detail the subsequent legal proceedings or sentences.
James Cross was released on December 3, 1970. Several FLQ members were arrested and others were sent out of Canada, according to the outlet's account, which includes a video narrated by journalist Nibaldo Mosciatti.