An Ontario court delivered a guilty verdict on two terrorism counts against a young defendant linked to a 2023 conspiracy targeting Jews in Ottawa on Friday.
According to local reports, Ontario Superior Court Justice Kerry McVey convicted the young person of conspiracy to commit murder through involvement with a terrorist group, as well as facilitating terrorist activity by seeking to acquire a prohibited firearm.
The trial began in April, following a separate proceeding in which a co-accused youth was found guilty on four charges.
McVey found the youth not guilty of a separate charge of facilitating terrorist activity by sharing extremist propaganda and digital documents concerning weapons, noting she was not convinced he understood he was actively furthering terrorist acts when he sent those files to his co-accused.
Because of his age, the individual cannot be legally identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
According to reporting by the Canadian Press, court proceedings revealed that by August 2023, the two youths had developed an interest in violent content and expressed hostility toward certain groups, including Jewish people.
McVey detailed that much of the material exchanged by the defendant could be characterized as propaganda or instructional content, featuring videos produced by the Islamic State alongside documents concerning firearms, explosives, and killing methods.
According to the Crown, those communications evolved over time, and by late October 2023, a concrete plan had emerged to carry out a mass casualty attack in which the co-accused youth intended to take his own life.
McVey noted she was not satisfied that the co-accused youth's plans had advanced that far at that specific stage.
However, the judge found that when the defendant became aware of the plan for a large-scale attack, he went beyond simply expressing support or interest.
She stated that he contacted potential sources of firearms, inquired about availability and pricing, and relayed information back to his co-accused to assist with decision-making.
McVey stated that, put simply, attempting to obtain an assault rifle for use in a preplanned, religiously and ideologically motivated mass shooting plainly facilitates that terrorist activity.
McVey concluded that the defendant conspired with his co-accused and another uncharged individual to carry out a mass casualty attack.
The attack was intended to cause serious harm through violence, she said.
“The communications between the participants reveal detailed discussions concerning the scale of the intended killing, the weapons required to accomplish it, the quantity of ammunition necessary and the possible use of explosives,” McVey said.
“Their shared objective was the mass killing of innocent people,” McVey added.
"The planned attack was intended to intimidate a segment of the public, namely members of the Jewish community, with respect to their security," McVey stated.
After delivering her verdict, McVey addressed the youth directly saying, “Based on all of the evidence, I am satisfied that you genuinely intended to help advance this act of deadly violence.”
McVey noted that the young person was a participant in the conspiracy even though he did not intend to fight or die as part of it, and even though he may not have known of, or intended to be involved in, every aspect of it.
“In Canada, people are not prosecuted for holding unpopular, offensive or extremist views,” McVey told him.
“You are not being found guilty because of what you believed. You are being found guilty because of what you did. The evidence establishes that your beliefs led you to take concrete steps with others toward the commission of terrorist activity.”
Jewish groups welcome outcome of guilty verdict
B'nai Brith Canada released a statement welcoming the outcome.
"B'nai Brith welcomes the news that one of two youths charged in connection with a 2023 terror plot targeting Jewish Canadians has been found guilty," B'nai Brith Canada said.
"This youth was convicted of committing a terrorist offence by conspiring to commit murder, as well as of attempting to facilitate a terrorist act by seeking to acquire a prohibited firearm. We thank law enforcement for taking decisive action to apprehend this extremist offender, along with his co-conspirators, to bring them to justice."
B'nai Brith added that the case highlights a rising wave of violent threats facing the community, urging the federal government to implement proactive measures against youth radicalization within online ecosystems.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) also issued a statement following the court's decision.
Josh Landau, Senior Director of Government Relations for Ontario at CIJA, stated, "An Ontario judge has found a youth guilty of two terrorism-related charges in connection with a 2023 plot to murder Jewish people in Ottawa."
Landau added, "This case reinforces what the Government of Canada has recently affirmed: antisemitism is a matter of national security, a threat to both the personal safety of Canadians and our democratic way of life. Governments must act with urgency to confront the radicalization that fuels terrorism, ensure our security agencies have the resources they need to identify and disrupt threats, and enforce our laws to hold those responsible accountable."