Assassination Plot Exposed Against Canadian Journalist

Frédérick Silva, a convicted killer, revealed an assassination plot against La Presse journalist Daniel Renaud, sparking outrage from Quebec officials and highlighting the dangers faced by reporters covering organized crime.

In a shocking revelation, La Presse reported that a hitman had placed a C$100,000 (approximately $71,400 or £56,000) bounty for the assassination of crime reporter Daniel Renaud. The confession came from Frédérick Silva, a convicted murderer currently serving a life sentence. Silva disclosed the plot while acting as a police informant, which required him to admit his full criminal history.

Silva was convicted for three murders and an attempted murder in 2022 and had been on trial at the time he sought out someone to carry out the contract against Renaud, who was covering the proceedings. The details of the assassination attempt surfaced when La Presse reviewed Silva's police confession, where he admitted reaching out to two significant figures in the organized crime scene to execute the hit.

According to Silva, these figures dissuaded him, arguing that targeting a journalist was a "bad idea." The so-called contract was in effect for two months but was never fulfilled, as Silva claimed he had "more important issues to deal with." The chilling news has drawn strong condemnation from Quebec Premier François Legault, who stated, “It makes no sense that in Quebec – we are not in a movie – there is a contract placed on the head of a journalist because he does his job."

Renaud expressed shock at the situation, stating he has always maintained a degree of caution while reporting. "I always exercise restraint so I don’t reveal details about the private lives of criminals and avoid putting lives in danger. So I never thought that I could have ended up the subject of a contract like this," he lamented. Former La Presse colleague and current politician Vincent Marissal praised Renaud's meticulous nature, emphasizing that his commitment to journalistic integrity should never warrant a threat against his life.