A second conspirator in an Ottawa terrorist plot against Jewish targets was arrested and charged and additional charges were leveled against the first youth arrested in December, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Friday.
Little is known about the 2023 terrorist plot, in part because both suspects are minors, but according to the charges, it involved conspiracy to murder Jewish persons with explosives or firearms in association with a terrorist organization.
The first suspect was arrested on December 15 by the RCMP operating in cooperation with Ottawa Police, Ontario Provincial Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and unnamed “national security partners.”
The young terrorist was charged with “facilitation of a terrorist activity by communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance” and “Knowingly instructing, directly or indirectly, a person to carry out a terrorist activity against Jewish persons.”
Further investigation
The RCMP said further investigation led to a charge for conspiracy and agreement to commit murder “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group” as well as a charge for “knowingly facilitating terrorist activity by making available and exchanging instructional material and propaganda.”
The investigation since December also led to the arrest of the coconspirator on Thursday. The youth’s Ottawa home was searched by law enforcement, and they were charged with conspiracy to murder in connection to a terrorist group, the facilitation of terrorism through instructional material and propaganda, and seeking a firearm for terrorist activity. Both suspects appeared before Ottawa area courts on Friday.
“The RCMP is concerned with the growing trend of violent extremism, in particular, the increase in youth involvement,” the Canadian law enforcement agency said on Friday. “Online radicalization continues to be a concern, not only related to terrorism but also in the broader area of grievance-based violence.”
The police called on families and communities to be vigilant regarding youth consumption of online extremism. It advised parents and teachers to engage in conversation with youth and to inform the police if they were concerned that someone is planning or preparing an act of terrorism.