A 17-year-old boy is facing charges of uttering death threats after Toronto police arrested him for allegedly plotting an attack on a Toronto high school on the 27th anniversary of the massacre at Ecole Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal, one of the worst mass murders in Canadian history.
Toronto Police say the teenager, who cannot be identified under Canada’s youth justice system, was arrested Tuesday morning after police were tipped off by an American internet service provider.
Police say someone on the U.S. West Coast noticed a threatening blog post and called the authorities. They in turn notified Canadian police officials.
Upon further investigation, investigators tracked the threatening post to a Toronto District School Board computer server, and they identified the alleged target as Oakwood Collegiate Institute, a Toronto public high school.
Police would not release the exact wording of the threat, but Det. Len Nicholson said that it did not specifically target women, although the teen did allegedly mention the assault at L’Ecole Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989 in which 14 women were killed.
“In the threat he makes reference to the massacre in Montreal so that made our urgency that much greater,” the detective said. “We were concerned that he was going to act on that date so that’s why we acted quickly.”
Swords, knives and arrows
Officers conducted a search warrant in his home.
Police say investigators discovered “a number of items including a machete, a hatchet, two swords, four knives, and arrows (for a bow-and-arrow set).”
Police also seized some articles of clothing that investigators allege the teenager planned to use to hide the weapons. Some computer equipment was also seized.
The Toronto District School Board confirmed that the suspect was a student at a Toronto high school, without naming the school.
The teen appeared in court on Tuesday. He’s been charged with uttering threats of bodily harm and uttering threats of death.
He was released on bail under strict conditions and is being monitored by police. The teenager will not be allowed to return to school, police say.
With files from CBC News
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