Man wanted on Canada-wide warrant in connection with Alkhalil jailbreak arrested

One of the men accused of helping gangland killer Rabih Alkhalil break out of a B.C. jail has been arrested, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) says.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for John Potvin — who has been charged with conspiracy to commit prison breach and prison breach — on Sept. 8.

The 49-year-old was one of three men who were charged for their alleged roles in helping Alkhalil escape the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C., in July 2022. Edward Ayoub and Ryan Van Gool were also charged and are already in custody.

Alkhalil remains on the loose.

Potvin, who is from Ottawa, was captured Sept. 19 in Spain after Canadian law enforcement agencies put out a ‘Red Notice,’ Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha says.

“Once a Red Notice is active, all of our partners that work with Canada will get that that notice. So if this individual was trying to board a plane or anywhere in the airport where his identity would be checked, those Red Notices do come up,” Sangha said.

The CFSEU-BC is working with the RCMP to have Potvin returned to Canada.

A cash reward has been issued for information leading to Alkhalil’s arrest.

With files from The Canadian Press, Maria Vinca, and Jan Schuermann.