Youth found guilty of two charges in alleged 2023 Ottawa plot targeting Jewish people

Ontario Superior Court Justice Kerry McVey found a youth guilty of two terrorism-related charges arising from an alleged 2023 plan to kill Jewish people in Ottawa. McVey found the youth guilty of conspiracy to commit murder through involvement with a terrorist group, and of facilitating terrorist activity by seeking to acquire a prohibited firearm. The judge found the youth not guilty of facilitating terrorist activity by making instructional material and propaganda available. The youth, who cannot legally be identified because of his age, had pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

McVey concluded that the youth found guilty on two charges conspired with his co-accused and another person who was not charged in a plan to kill innocent people. The trial began in April, a day after the co-accused — also a young person who cannot legally be identified — was found guilty on four charges.

The RCMP said in 2023 that the youth had been charged with facilitating terrorist activity by spreading instructional material about building bombs, and with knowingly instructing someone to carry out a terrorist attack. Crown attorneys at the time also charged him with facilitating terrorist activity, possessing explosives, and making or possessing an explosive substance.