WATCH: A 15-year-old boy in Montreal has been arrested and charged with conspiring to join terrorists overseas. The boy allegedly robbed a convenience earlier this fall. There are fears he was going to use the money to fly to Syria to join ISIS. Shirlee Engel reports.
MONTREAL — A 15-year-old Montreal youth appeared in court Wednesday afternoon to face terrorism-related charges.
According to authorities, he is being charged under sections 83.2 and 83.181 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
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“The teenager is alleged to have committed robbery for the benefit of, or at the direction of, a terrorist group,” the RCMP noted in a statement.
“He was allegedly planning to leave Canada to engage in terrorist activity abroad.”
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Suspected of robbing a corner store at knifepoint, the teen was first arrested in October. According to reports, his father turned him into police.
An investigation suggested the teen had been been in contact via social media with 25-year-old Martin Couture-Rouleau, the suspect in a deadly hit-and-run in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu in October, which Canada’s safety minister described as “linked to terrorist ideology.”
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However, the RCMP would not provide details on the grounds for laying charges, citing the age of the accused and the fact the investigation was still ongoing.
Pending sentencing, the 15-year-old will remain in a youth detention centre.
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