A man and three women in their early twenties have been charged with committing a terrorism-related prank following smoke-bomb attacks that crippled the Montreal subway system Thursday.
The suspects, Francois-Vivier Gagnon, Genevieve Vaillancourt, Vanessa L'Ecuyer and Roxanne Belisle, turned themselves in to authorities Friday.
They appeared in court via video conference today to face charges of inciting fear of terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
They were also charged with conspiracy and mischief of over $5,000, while Mr. Gagnon was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon.
Smoke bombs were set off at several metro stops at the height of rush hour Thursday morning, forcing the entire subway system to shut down.
A merchants' association and a conservative economic think-tank have estimated that the incident cost Montreal several million dollars in lost productivity.
They are scheduled to appear in court again on Monday.