Two Ottawa teens allegedly plotted to bomb a pro-Israel rally on Parliament Hill before they were arrested by the RCMP, according to documents obtained by Global News.
The boys, both minors, were arrested in December and February over what police called a terrorist plot against the Ottawa Jewish community.
Specifics of their plan were not disclosed at that time, but newly-released allegations filed in court detail their suspected target.
“They are alleged to have formed a plan last fall to violently attack Jewish persons in Ottawa, possibly through the detonation of an explosive device at a pro-Israel rally,” the Department of Justice wrote.
No further details were provided, but one of the accused is charged with possession of acetone, oxidizer and metal ball bearings.
All are common components of homemade bombs.
The plot was allegedly linked to ISIS, also known as DAESH, and was “possibly accelerated” by the Hamas attack on Israel, according to the government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre.
“Although radicalization of these individuals reportedly began prior to the October 2023 Hamas attack, at least one of the individuals was reportedly in contact with DAESH overseas and the arrests occurred during a period of DAESH calls to violence in response to the conflict.”
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The claim that a pro-Israel rally was the target surfaced in an application by federal lawyers to withhold sensitive national security information from the youths’ trials.
The case comes amid a spike in antisemitic attacks in Canada, including shootings on Jewish schools.
ISIS-related cases have also surged since last year, most recently the arrest in Quebec of a Pakistani foreign student accused of planning a mass shooting at a Brooklyn, N.Y., Jewish centre.
RCMP seize vehicle after arresting Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, the suspect in an ISIS plot, in Ormstown, Que. on Sept. 4, 2024. PIERRE-PAUL POULIN/LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL/AGENCE QMI.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it was unaware a pro-Israel rally may have been the plot’s target until contacted by Global News for comment.
“It doesn’t come as a surprise,” said president and CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel.
“And I think it’s consistent with what we have seen across the country, where the violent and radicalized protests that have manifested themselves on our streets are losing all constraints in terms of how far they are prepared to go in order to advance their position.”
He said Canadian law enforcement had failed the Jewish community.
“They understand the extent to which we are under threat,” Fogel said. “Yet they are not taking all the steps necessary, they are not using the provisions of the Criminal Code in ways that are going to offer protection to those who are at risk.”
“And equally important, theyt are not signalling to those who are advancing this toxic and violent manifestation of hate that in Canada there is no room for that kind of exhibit.”
The first Ottawa youth was arrested on Dec. 15 and charged with two terrorism offences, among them “communicating instructional material related to an explosive substance.”
He was also charged with instructing a second person to “carry out a terrorist activity against Jewish persons,” and was later charged with murder conspiracy.
Following his arrest, his father said the Iraqi family had warned the youth to steer clear of extremists, and had sent him to sessions with an imam.
Posts on the father’s Facebook page refer to Zionists and Jews in a derogatory manner, while one says to get rid of all Israelis.
On Feb. 15, his alleged co-conspirator was charged with three counts of terrorism, including agreeing to commit murder and seeking a prohibited firearm.
“The plot involved a reported threat to the Jewish community, which exemplifies how significant international events, amongst other personal grievances, can likely influence an overall path of mobilization,” ITAC wrote in its report, released under the Access to Information Act.
