(Ottawa) A young Canadian from Ottawa, accused of “terrorist activities against Jewish people”, was also indicted on Monday for possession of explosive substances and “intent to use them”, we learned from a source close to the file.
Arrested on Saturday, the accused – who cannot be identified due to his age – was already facing two charges for having “facilitated” and “directed” a “terrorist activity against Jewish people”.
It is notably specified that he was in contact with other people in Canada and the United States in October.
The three new charges state that he was in possession of explosive substances when he was arrested Saturday, including acetone, an oxidant, and metal ball bearings, with the intent to “endanger life.”
The accused, who remains in custody, appeared briefly by videoconference at the Ottawa courthouse on Monday.
At the time of his arrest, the Canadian federal police clarified that they were observing a “disturbing trend towards violent extremism and the use of the internet for terrorist purposes, particularly among young people”.
Five young individuals have been arrested for terrorism-related offenses since June, she added.
“I am shocked to learn the details of a planned attack against the Jewish community of Ottawa,” the mayor of the Canadian capital, Mark Sutcliffe, declared on Saturday on X.
For its part, the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an advocacy group representing Jewish organizations across Canada, said on been injured.”
More and more anti-Semitic acts have been reported in Canada since October 7, the date of the bloody attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, in response to which Israel declared a war to “annihilate” Hamas, triggering intense bombing of the Gaza Strip.
In November, two Jewish schools in Montreal were targeted by shootings, one of them twice, without causing any injuries. Molotov cocktails also hit a synagogue and a Jewish community center.
In Toronto, the police reported at the end of November a significant increase in racist crimes in the Canadian metropolis.