Youth guilty of two terrorism charges tied to alleged plan to kill Jewish people

A judge has found a youth guilty of two terrorism-related charges stemming from an alleged 2023 plan to kill Jewish people in Ottawa.

In a verdict delivered Friday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Kerry McVey found the young person guilty of conspiracy to commit murder through involvement with a terrorist group, and of facilitating terrorist activity by seeking to acquire a prohibited firearm.

McVey found him not guilty of facilitating terrorist activity by making instructional material and propaganda available.

The youth, who cannot legally be identified due to his age, had pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

His trial began in April, a day after his co-accused — also a young person who cannot legally be identified — was found guilty on four charges.

McVey concluded the youth found guilty Friday conspired with his co-accused and another individual who was not charged in a plan to kill a large number of people.

"The planned attack was intended to intimidate a segment of the public, namely members of the Jewish community, with respect to their security," McVey said.

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."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.

By Jim Bronskill | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.