An Ottawa youth has been arrested by the RCMP for allegedly planning a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community. The suspect, whose identity was not released due to their age, was arrested on December 15 and charged with facilitating terrorist activity and knowingly instructing a person to carry out terrorist activity against Jewish persons. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe expressed shock and concern over the arrests and highlighted the rising anti-Semitic incidents in the city.
No further information was released about the suspect due to their age, and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe commented on the news and stated that there is no place for hatred, racism, or violence in their community. He emphasized the importance of working together to ensure the city is safe for everyone. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs expressed gratitude to law enforcement for preventing the threat against their community and raised alarm about the ongoing threat.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also commented on the rise in anti-Semitism since the October 7 attack and emphasized the need to protect people from anti-Jewish hatred. Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, who is Jewish himself, thanked the law enforcement for arresting the suspect and called out those who downplay the fears of Jewish Canadians. Haven’t publicly commented at the time of the report, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted The Canadian Press.