Police foiled a Kamloops murder plot while their search went international following a BC prison break.

The manhunt for escapee and convicted killer Rabih Alkhalil started in 2022 and police announced this week three men were charged with assisting in the prison break, but the investigation also uncovered a murder plot amid a Kamloops gang war that began last spring.

BC’s gang squad said three men were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, allegedly planned for March 2024.

Ryan Van Gool, 46, is the only man implicated in both the murder plot and the prison break, according to a news release from the BC Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit issued today, Sept. 8.

During the same time period, Kamloops was seeing a rise in gang-related violence with multiple arsons that escalated to public shootings. At the time, Kamloops RCMP warned the public to stay clear of two men on opposing sides of the gang violence. Police said they were both being targeted at the time.

Just who Van Gool and his co-accused were targeting is not clear.

The search for the convicted Wolfpack killer Alkhalil started in 2022 when he escaped from custody in the Fraser Valley, helped by two men posing as contractors, who drove off in a cargo van.

He was arrested in Qatar last week, but police have not confirmed the arrest despite announcing charges related to the prison break and the murder plot.

Van Gool and his co-accused — Bryce Telford, 28, and Scott Telford, 61 — are each facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder. They’re also facing firearms charges related to a Maple Ridge shooting in January 2024.

According to the news release, Van Gool is from Harrison Hot Springs and the Telfords are from Surrey. All three were arrested on Sept. 5 and will appear in a Vancouver courthouse this week.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dana Napier did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the alleged murder plot and a connection to the 2024 gang violence.