The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have detained two Ottawa teenagers suspected of planning a bomb attack on a pro-Israel rally on Parliament Hill, according to documents obtained by Global News.
The teens, whose identities are protected by Canadian law due to their age, were apprehended in separate incidents - one in December and another in February - following what authorities describe as a terror plot targeting Ottawa’s Jewish community.
Newly disclosed court documents suggest that the suspects “formulated a plan last fall to carry out a violent assault against Jewish individuals in Ottawa, possibly through an explosive attack at a pro-Israel gathering.”
The investigation revealed that one of the suspects had amassed materials commonly used to construct explosive devices, including acetone, an oxidizing agent, and metal ball bearings.
Intelligence reports indicate that the plot had potential links to the Islamic State (ISIS) and may have been influenced by Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, one of the suspects may have been in communication with ISIS operatives overseas. Authorities report that while radicalization occurred prior to the Hamas incident, the arrests coincided with an ISIS call for retaliatory violence during the recent conflict.