(Toronto) A father and son who allegedly planned a violent attack in Toronto and had ties to the Islamic State (IS) group are facing terrorism-related charges, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced Wednesday.
The two men were arrested at a Richmond Hill, Ont., hotel over the weekend and were in possession of an axe and a machete, federal police said.
RCMP said the 62-year-old father and his 26-year-old son were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious and violent attack in Toronto.”
“The accused knowingly facilitated terrorist activity in the Greater Toronto Area,” says an RCMP news release. “There is no evidence to suggest there remains a risk to the public.”
During a briefing with reporters in Newmarket, Ont., RCMP officers declined to provide details on the extent of the accused’s ties to ISIS.
Superintendent James Parr, however, said the weapons the men possessed are indicative of what the RCMP believes is a broader “low-tech” strategy deployed by terrorist groups.
He added that one of the men had already been charged in connection with an attack that occurred outside Canada in 2015.
The two men each face charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activities, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose.
The father also faces an additional charge of aggravated assault.