RCMP Arrested An Ottawa Man For 'Death' & 'Terrorism' Twitter Threats Aimed At Parliament
The 19-year-old is facing some serious charges.
A person opening Twitter on their smartphone.
An Ottawa man has been arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for posting "numerous" threats on Twitter.
The online posts were described as "death and terrorism-related" and were aimed at Parliament Hill, the Department of Defense, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, as well as the Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa.
Officials were made aware of the Twitter posts on November 8, according to a press release.
"All threats to the public are taken seriously, including tweets on social media," said Staff Sgt. Pascal Herbert of the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET). "This file demonstrates how communication between departments plays a key role in keeping our communities safe."
According to police, the person behind the tweets was identified as 19-year-old Daniel Houde of Ottawa.
He has since been arrested and charged with four counts each of perpetrating a terrorist hoax, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to a person, and uttering threats to burn, destroy and damage property.
Houde has since been released on unspecified conditions and is due in court on January 18.
It's not clear what exactly was said or what threats were specifically made in the tweets other than the groups that were allegedly targeted.
RCMP had advised anyone who suspects someone of planning or supporting terrorist activities to call the National Security Information Network at 1-800-420-5805 or by email at RCMP.NSIN-RISN.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.