2nd youth charged in connection with anti-Jewish terror plot

A young person has been charged as the alleged"co-conspirator" of a 15-year-old Ottawa boy already accused of plotting a terrorist attack against Jewish people, according to the RCMP.

In a release Friday, the RCMP said both youths are now facing charges of unlawfully conspiring and agreeing to commit murder either for the benefit of a terrorist group, in association with one, or at one's direction.

That is one of two new chargesfor the Ottawa boy, who was arrested Dec. 15 in Ottawa and was already facing five charges.

The boy was also charged Thursdaywith knowingly facilitating terrorist activity by making available and exchanging instructional material and propaganda, RCMP said, bringing the number of charges against him to seven.

That chargewasalso laid against the second young person, who was also arrested Thursday,RCMP said.They were also charged with a third offence offacilitatingterrorist activity by seeking to acquire a prohibited firearm.

The age and gender of the young person arrested this week have not been released.

Neither youth can be identified due to the protections of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Target of alleged plot still unclear

It's been alleged that in late October 2023, the 15-year-old boy instructed someoneto carry out a terrorist activity against Jewish people, and that he communicated instructions about an explosive substance around the same time.

• Community leaders worry about increased radicalization risk after arrest of youth in Ottawa

The specifictarget, or where and when the alleged terrorist activity wasto take place, has not yet been outlined in any of the charges.

However, his previous charges spoke tosome of the explosive substances allegedly found at his home when a search warrant was executed the night he was arrested.

Theyincluded acetone, a highly flammable,volatile liquid with a strong smell that's often foundin nail polish remover,and an unspecified oxidizer, asubstance used to promote combustion.

Both young people were set to appear in Ottawa-area courts on Friday, the RCMP said.