Ottawa youth arrested for alleged terror plot targeting Jews

Canada’s national police force says a youth in Ottawa was arrested and charged with terrorism-related offenses that allegedly targeted Jewish people.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says the young person arrested Friday was charged with facilitating terrorist activity by communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance.

The youth is further charged with knowingly instructing a person to carry out terrorist activity against “Jewish persons.”

Police do not release further details about the alleged offenses. Officials also say no further information about the youth could be released due to the suspect’s age.

In a news release, the national police force says it is seeing a concerning trend of violent extremism and terrorist use of the internet, including among young people.

Many officials have been raising the alarm about a reported rise in hate crimes against Jewish communities since Hamas’s October 7 attack in Israel, prompting that country’s military offensive in Gaza.

“I was shocked to learn the details of a planned attack against Ottawa’s Jewish community,” Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says on X, formerly known as Twitter. “There has been a rise in antisemitism in Ottawa in recent weeks.”

I was shocked to learn the details of a planned attack against Ottawa’s Jewish community. J'ai été choqué d'apprendre les détails d'une attaque planifiée contre la communauté juive d'Ottawa. There has been a rise in anti-semitism in Ottawa in recent weeks. I’m grateful and…

— Mark Sutcliffe (@_MarkSutcliffe) December 16, 2023

He adds police will continue to patrol synagogues and other Jewish institutions.