The Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), founded in 1963, was a group of militant Québec separatists attempting to further Québec independence through violence. Between 1963 and 1970, the FLQ exploded 200 dynamite bombs in mailboxes, at several federal and provincial buildings, at McGill University, and injured 27 people in an explosion at the Montreal Stock Exchange.
The FLQ rocketed to national prominence in October 1970 when they kidnapped James Cross, a British diplomat in Montréal, and Pierre Laporte, a Québec cabinet minister. In response, the Québec government requested aid from the Armed Forces and the Trudeau government invoked the War Measures Act, allowing police to arrest people on suspicion. On October 17th, police discovered Laporte's body in the trunk of a car near St. Hubert airport. In December 1970, James Cross was freed after police discovered his kidnappers' hideout. He was released unharmed in exchange for free passage to Cuba for his FLQ kidnappers.