A Canadian Army Reservist being investigated for his "racist extremist behavior" is missing

A former Canadian Army Reservist being investigated for his "racist extremist behavior" has been missing for more than a week and Canadian and US authorities advise against people staying away from him.

Patrik Jordan Mathews, 26, was last seen by his family on August 24 in Beauséjour, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced in a news release. He was reported missing two days later.

His vehicle was found Monday afternoon in a rural property in Piney, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, along the Minnesota border. The RCMP said they thought the vehicle might have been parked there for about a week.

Police in Canada and the United States warned people not to approach Mathews, a former Canadian Armed Forces Corporal, and said to immediately contact the authorities if they saw him.

"He is listed as a missing person," the Roseau County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota said in a Facebook message. "** DO NOT APPROACH NO **"

The RCMP said it believed that Mathews "could be under considerable pressure" and anyone who sees it should "avoid engaging with him".

According to Global News, Mathews has links to a neo-Nazi group and his disappearance comes days after the Winnipeg Free Press published an article claiming he was recruiting for a white supremacist group.

A spokesman for the Canadian Department of National Defense told NBC News on Friday that the Canadian Armed Forces knew of Mathews' possible "racist extremist activities" and that the case had been under investigation for several years. month.

Mathews enlisted in the Armed Forces as a Reservist in 2010 and was a combat engineer at a base in Winnipeg. At August 30, he was no longer a member of the armed forces after asking to leave a few months ago.

The spokesman declined to say whether his exit request was related to the investigation.

"It is totally unacceptable for a CAF member to participate in an activity or to belong to a group or organization that he knows or ought to know is related to criminal activity, encourages hate, violence , discrimination or harassment, "said the MP. spokesman said.

As part of his release from the army, Mathews returned all his military equipment, including his uniform. He has never received any weapons, the spokesman said.

The RCMP stated that there was no arrest warrant against Mathews or that charges were being laid against him and that it was of an investigation into a missing person.