Ottawa Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Terrorism Charges

OTTAWA A teenager pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three terrorism-related charges in an Ontario court, marking the start of a trial over his alleged role in a plot to target and kill Jewish people in the Canadian capital.

The youth, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces accusations of conspiring to commit murder as part of a terrorist group's activities. Additional charges include facilitating terrorism by distributing instructional materials and propaganda, as well as attempting to obtain a prohibited firearm. Authorities arrested the young person in February 2024 following an investigation into extremist activities.

The trial, which prosecutors expect to span several weeks, opened just one day after the youth's unnamed co-accused was convicted on four related charges in the same courthouse. The co-accused, also shielded by youth protection laws, initially entered not guilty pleas but later agreed to a statement of facts and requested that the court enter guilty verdicts. This procedural step allows the co-accused to challenge pretrial decisions on evidence admissibility and the convictions themselves through an appeal, without contesting the...