RCMP announced Saturday that an Ottawa youth has been charged with terrorism-related offenses for allegedly targeting Jews.
The Mounties said in a statement that the suspect was arrested Friday and that due to his age they cannot release any further information about the person.
RCMP said in a statement that the suspect is suspected of directly or indirectly directing someone to carry out acts of terrorism against “Jews.”
They are also charged with “facilitating terrorist activities by transmitting instructional materials related to explosives.”
Police across Canada have seen an increase in reports of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, triggering retaliatory military action in the Islamic extremist-held Palestinian enclave of Gaza. He said there was.
Toronto police say hate crimes are up significantly compared to 2022 due to tensions stemming from the war between Israel and Hamas. Leaders of the city’s Muslim and Jewish communities fear more incidents are going unreported.
Ottawa’s mayor said he was shocked by the alleged planned attack, adding that “anti-Semitism has been on the rise in Ottawa in recent weeks.”
“In this case, strong investigative efforts led to [RCMP] And that [Ottawa Police Service] This planned event could be avoided before it happened. ” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe told X:the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
“Ottawa Police will continue to patrol synagogues and other Jewish institutions.”
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an advocacy group representing Jewish organizations across Canada, said in X He thanked no one was injured and noted that “the continuing threat to our community remains very real.”
The Oct. 7 attack killed about 1,200 people, according to an Israeli official tally, and the ensuing Israeli siege of Gaza killed more than 18,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed eight Canadians were killed in the conflict. Seven of them were killed in the first attack, including one in Lebanon, where Israel engaged in a gunfight with the Hamas-aligned militant group Hezbollah.
