Advocacy group issues urgent call to combat radicalization after youth found guilty of plan to kill Ottawa Jews

An Ontario judge A judge has found a male youth guilty of two terrorism-related charges stemming from a 2023 plan to kill Jewish people in Ottawa. Photo by Getty Images

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A Canadian Jewish advocacy group has issued an urgent call to confront the radicalism that generates terrorism after an Ontario criminal court judge found a male youth guilty of two terrorism-related charges arising from a 2023 plan to kill Jewish people in Ottawa.

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The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs released a statement via X late Friday saying that “Jewish Canadians should not have to wait for a mass-casualty attack before every tool available is used to confront this threat.”

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“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,” says Josh Landau, the CIJA’s senior director for government affairs in Ontario.

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“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.”

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Ontario Superior Court Justice Kerry McVey found the young person guilty of conspiracy to commit murder through involvement with a terrorist group, reports the Canadian Press. She also found him guilty of facilitating terrorist activity due to an effort to acquire a prohibited firearm.

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The male youth, who cannot legally be identified due to his age, pleaded not guilty to all three charges. McVey did not find the accused guilty of facilitating terrorist activity in making instructional material and propaganda available.

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The judgement was issued a day after his co-accused, also a young person who cannot be identified, was found guilty on four charges. McVey concluded that the youth found guilty conspired with his co-accused as well as another individual who was not charged.

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