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Globe and Mail
5 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
RCMP charge Montreal minor with terrorism offences involving Islamic State
The RCMP have arrested a Montreal boy on terrorism-related charges, alleging he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and was planning at least one attack. The Mounties said Wednesday that they arrested the boy without incident in the city's Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, and police were still searching a four-storey apartment there Wednesday afternoon. Authorities did not release the minor's name or age. Corporal Érique Gasse said the public was never in danger and that police began their investigation in April. The RCMP found the boy allegedly intended to acquire weapons, such as AK-47s, for the attack. 'He made those comments on social media stating that he wished to attack various groups of people,' Cpl. Gasse told The Canadian Press. The accused is scheduled to appear in youth court on Thursday on three counts: providing or making available property or services for terrorist purposes; participation in the activity of a terrorist group; and facilitating a terrorist activity. The investigation was handled by nearly 40 Mounties from the force's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. Late last year, the RCMP collaborated with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and its partners among the Five Eyes alliance to issue a report warning that more and more young people are being attracted to violent ideologies, especially online. 'We are increasingly concerned about the radicalisation of minors, and minors who support, plan or undertake terrorist activities,' the report stated. 'Radicalised minors can pose the same credible terrorist threat as adults, and law enforcement and security agencies cannot address this issue alone.' In a phone interview Wednesday, Cécile Rousseau, a McGill University professor and Canada Research Chair in preventing violent radicalization, said this boy's alleged crimes occurred amid a significant rise in young Quebeckers embracing violence. Dr. Rousseau, a child psychiatrist, is part of a specialized clinical group that treats young extremists. A third of its patients are referred after being arrested, and the rest come from the health care and education systems. She said her group has treated 150 new extremist patients in the past year, which is double the caseload referred two years ago. Dr. Rousseau observed that when she started in 2016, roughly 20 per cent of the patients were minors, but now that ratio has increased to 70 per cent. Worse, she said, the peak age at which Quebec's young people support violent radicalization has dropped in that span from 19 to 13 or 14. 'Access to the internet is major with peer phenomenon, you also have now very high distress and discontent in young kids and people actively recruiting both from the ideological side and from the non-ideological side,' Dr. Rousseau said. Most of Quebec's extremist cases referred to her group involve people embracing white-supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies and a much smaller percentage relate to Islamic extremism, she said. A decade ago, she said, the Islamic State, also known by the Arabic acronym Daesh, was at the peak of its recruiting power in high-income countries such as Canada, but that waned with the fall of its regime in Syria. The group is not as powerful as it once was, but it is again resurgent, she said. 'They're reorganized and they're back,' Dr. Rousseau said. With a report from The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
RCMP arrest minor in Montreal on terror-related charges
MONTREAL – A minor was arrested in Montreal on terrorism-related charges involving the Islamic State, the RCMP said Wednesday. Police arrested the young male in the city's Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough around 1:30 p.m. Cpl. Érique Gasse said the youth had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and investigators believe he was ready to carry out at least one attack on behalf of the terrorist group. 'He made those comments on social media stating that he wished to attack various groups of people,' Gasse said in an interview. Gasse said in an interview the youth allegedly intended to acquire weapons such as AK-47s for the attack. The investigation began last April and Gasse said the public was never in danger. The accused is scheduled to appear in youth court on Thursday on three counts: providing or making available property or services for terrorist purposes; participation in the activity of a terrorist group; and facilitating a terrorist activity. The investigation was handled by the force's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. Nearly 40 officers were involved in the arrest along with the force's emergency response team. Authorities did not release the minor's age. Police were on site at a four-storey apartment building on Wednesday afternoon, conducting a search. The arrest itself took place without incident, police said. A federal Crown prosecutor has been assigned to the case, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada confirmed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025.
Global News
15 hours ago
- Global News
RCMP arrest minor in Montreal on terror-related charges
The RCMP say they have arrested a minor in Montreal on terrorism-related charges. Police say they arrested the young male in the city's Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough around 1:30 p.m. Cpl. Érique Gasse says the youth had pledged allegiance to Islamic State and was ready to carry out at least one attack on behalf of the terrorist group. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Gasse says in an interview the youth intended to procure weapons such as AK-47s for the attack. The investigation began last April and Gasse says the public was never in danger. The accused is scheduled to appear in youth court on Thursday on three counts: providing or making available property or services for terrorist purposes; participation the activity of a terrorist group; and facilitating a terrorist activity. Story continues below advertisement This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025.
