dailynewsnblog
Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Police say two teens — a girl from the town of Bridgewater, N.S., and the other, a boy from Manitoba — have 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.
“The plan was to go in and murder multiple students, and the type of weapon used in the murder wasn’t clearly laid out yet,” Danny MacPhee, Bridgewater’s deputy police chief, told CBC News on Wednesday.
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.
A 15-year-old from Nova Scotia and a 14-year-old from Manitoba are facing charges after police allege they planned simultaneous attacks at their schools in Bridgewater, N.S., and Rivers, Man. Police say they were alerted by the FBI and Interpol about online conversations between two teens.
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.
In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the South Shore Regional Centre for Education said it has scaled up student support and briefed staff on available resources.
The 15-year-old 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.
MORE TOP STORIES
