N.S., Manitoba teens accused of planning co-ordinated school attacks

police force say 2 teenage boys — i from the ithiel town of Bridgewater, N.S., and the other from Manitoba — feature been charged for allegedly planning simultaneous attacks at their local schools.

The Bridgewater Police Service said it was alerted Friday by the international police agency Interpol and the FBI that a 15-year-old from the town and a 14-year-old from Manitoba had been talking online about their desire to mount a "violent attack" at Park View Education Centre and Rivers Collegiate.

Park View Education Centre, a senior high school in Bridgewater, has about 900 students. Rivers Collegiate is located in the western Manitoba community of Rivers and has 141 students in grades 7-12.

Police arrested the Bridgewater teen on Tuesday.

A news release Wednesday said officers searched a residence and discovered handwritten plans, imitation weapons, including an imitation pipe bomb and assault rifle, and clothing with hate symbols and "concerning comments." A cellphone and laptop were also taken by police.

RCMP arrested the Manitoba teen Monday during a traffic stop on a school bus. Police said he wasn't armed and his phone and electronic devices were seized.

"We know details of this arrest will have an impact on the students, parents, and the entire community of Rivers. Be assured that our officers acted quickly, worked closely with our policing partners, and took immediate steps to find and arrest the youth," Supt. Lee Fortin, West District commander for Manitoba RCMP, said in a news release Wednesday.

Teens accused of planning Manitoba, N.S. School attacks arrested

MacPhee said the seized electronic devices are being sent for analysis to uncover potential connections.

He said the teens had been talking about an attack "for a period of time." He said police found handwritten notes and "mapping made out of the school."

"It was a handwritten map, and then basically handwritten notes of a plan [and] how they would proceed with an active attack," MacPhee said.

He said he believes the youths communicated online through a mix of open chatting and private messaging, but that would be up to investigators to verify.

MacPhee said it appeared the teens were planning simultaneous attacks at certain dates at both of their high schools, possibly in the next school year. He said so far it appeared the teens only know each other online and had not met in person.

"The plans were in the planning stages. They weren't imminent, so we believe we've kind of hit this off before it escalated," said MacPhee.

He said there's no evidence indicating ties to specific groups or organizations, but the investigation is still in its early stages.

MacPhee credited Interpol, the FBI and investigators in Manitoba for thwarting the attack.

"We do work a fair amount together. It's not as common as our everyday file, but I think we all want to get a good outcome. And that's why we get into policing is to prevent a crime, not go to an after attack. So this is a big win for all agencies involved," he said.

The 15-year-old boy was arraigned Wednesday in Bridgewater youth court on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and uttering threats to cause death. He's being held in custody pending his next court appearance on March 23 in Bridgewater.

Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime, and other charges could be laid.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact Bridgewater police.

The Manitoba RCMP release said the 14-year-old has been charged with uttering threats, and additional charges are possible as the investigation proceeds.

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Reporter/Editor

Yuan Wang is a reporter based in Halifax. Get in touch with her by emailing yuan.wang@cbc.ca.

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