A youth has been arrested and charged in connection with an ongoing investigation into “terrorism related offences,” the country’s federal policing service says.
Officers from the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) in the Greater Toronto Area arrested a youth on Nov. 4, the RCMP said in a Nov. 25 press release.
The youth has been charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group by the editing and public posting of ISIS propaganda videos. The suspect was also charged with inviting a person to provide property, i.e., firearms, intending that they be used, in whole or in part, for the purpose of facilitating or carrying out a terrorist activity.
The suspect cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the charges have not been tested in court.
The RCMP has shared minimal information about the investigation, including the reasons that led to the suspect’s arrest. Police also did not say where in the GTA the suspect was taken into custody.
Supt. James Parr, the officer-in-charge of federal policing for the Central Region INSET, said in the press release that the arrest was “the result of a coordinated effort with domestic and international partners and demonstrates the RCMP’s commitment to public safety by disrupting threats to Canada’s national security.”
INSET is made up of representatives of the RCMP, municipal, and provincial police forces as well as federal and provincial partners and agencies. It is tasked with national security criminal investigations into terrorist criminal activities.
“The RCMP takes threats to Canada’s national security very seriously. The national security team in the Toronto area, GTA/SW INSET, gathered evidence that indicated a potentially dangerous threat and took action to keep Canadians safe,” the press release said.
The RCMP said the investigation was supported by the New York Police Department (NYPD), Peel Regional Police, Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and the Ministry of the Attorney General.
“International terrorism knows no other purpose than to sow chaos and fear,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said in the release. “The New York City Police Department will confront this threat whenever and wherever it presents itself, and we were proud to partner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and others to uncover this dangerous plot and keep people safe.”
