The RCMP has arrested a minor in Ontario on ISIS-related terrorism charges amid a surge in youth radicalization that is concerning security officials.
The arrest occurred on Nov. 4 but was only announced on Tuesday in an RCMP news release that revealed he had been charged with two terrorism offences.
The youth, who cannot be named because he is under 18, had allegedly edited and posted ISIS propaganda videos, according to the RCMP statement.
He was also accused of “inviting a person to provide property, i.e., firearms,” with the intention that it would be used to carry out terrorist activity.
The average age of those involved in extremist violence has been trending downward in recent years, with many arrests now involving teens.
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One in 10 Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigations now involve at least one extremist under age 18, the agency’s director said on Nov. 13.
A Montreal youth was arrested in August over a suspected ISIS attack plot, and two Ottawa youths face charges for allegedly planning to bomb a Jewish event.
Investigators say that terror groups are now using gaming platforms to reach young people, radicalize them and and communicate with them.
The RCMP, New York Police Department, Peel Regional Police, Toronto Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police were all involved in the investigation.
“This arrest is 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,” said RCMP Supt. James Parr.
The investigation, led by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, had disrupted a “dangerous plot,” according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Although ISIS was defeated in Syria in 2019, it has emerged in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and continues to attract Western recruits.
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