Accused who allegedly aided fugitive Rabih Alkhalil's B.C. prison escape extradited to Canada
CBC
A suspect that allegedly helped fugitive Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil escape jail has been extradited from Spain and is now in Canada, according to B.C.'s anti-gang police unit.
John Potvin of Ottawa, Ont., was one of three men charged in September 2025 after allegedly helping Alkhalil escape from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on July 21, 2022.
Potvin is now in custody in Canada, according to police. He was arrested on Sept. 19 in Spain, and authorities had since been working to extradite him.
Potvin, who was charged with conspiracy to commit prison breach and prison breach in relation to Alkhalil's escape, was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant and an Interpol Red Notice prior to his arrest in Spain.
In a statement, Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha of B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit thanked Interpol and international partners for helping police "pursue fugitives beyond our borders."
Alkhalil, originally from Montreal, Que., has an extensive criminal record and was convicted in a 2012 Toronto murder, as well as a murder in Vancouver that same year.
He was later arrested in Qatar the same month Potvin was arrested in Spain.
In a news conference in September, Sangha had said that video footage released from the prison break helped officers identify the men who allegedly aided Alkhalil's escape.
In July 2022, two men posing as contractors driving a white Ford Econoline van helped Alkhalil break out of the pretrial centre while he was awaiting a murder trial.
Later that same year, the Bolo Program — which stands for "be on the lookout" — moved Alkhalil to the top of its list of 25 most-wanted fugitives in Canada.
A candlelight vigil was held Friday evening in Montreal for Chong Woo Kim, the owner of a corner store who was murdered the day before while at work.
While calls are growing to ban paid plasma donations in light of donor deaths, not everyone agrees stopping it is the best option.
CBC's road trip series Land of Living Stories explores inspiring stories of community spirit from across Saskatchewan. In our latest visit, CBC-Radio Canada hit the road to La Ronge. This is the third of a multi-part series from that community.
Aleesha Baxter woke up in her three-year-old daughter's bedroom early Monday morning to the sound of loud bangs.
A new interactive safety map aims to help people navigate dating apps safely.
Alberta’s two largest river basins have become one, part of a suite of major updates to the province’s water rules that came into force this week.
A set of agreements signed last month between the federal government and the Musqueam Indian Band has sparked debate, confusion and political reaction across British Columbia.
The Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL) has been operating for a year now. It's a nationwide project based at Western University, where data from scientists and engineers across the country are used to study extreme weather and help communities better prepare for future events.
Abby Chapman had to calm herself before she could send an email to her supervisor. Her hands were shaking too much to type.
Chief Jamie Moses of Pehdzeh Ki First Nation enthusiastically welcomed news on Thursday that Ottawa is supporting the Mackenzie Valley Highway. And he spoke of the potential it has to transform his community in Wrigley moving forward.
Listen, we don't control the internet. Nor do we have any say in how people exercise their free will.
Ontario wants to exempt the premier, cabinet ministers and parliamentary assistants from being subject to the province’s freedom-of-information laws, a move that’s sparked outrage from experts, opposition parties, and the province’s privacy commissioner.
The federal government is currently weighing whether to renew funding meant to address a massive backlog of airline passenger complaints — funding that if not extended could result in Canadians having to wait longer to have their cases heard.