By The Canadian Press on January 5, 2024.
CALGARY – A youth court judge has granted a one-year peace bond to a 15-year-old Calgary boy who was arrested in October as part of an ongoing national security investigation. The teen, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is one of four young Calgarians who have been arrested over terrorism-related posts on TikTok and other social media sites since June. The boy was subject to a section of the Criminal Code that allows for a peace bond if there’s fear the person may commit a terrorism offence. He appeared in a Calgary courtroom with his lawyer and his family this afternoon. Cpl. Courtney Currie of the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team testified that a threat assessment has determined he’s a low risk to commit a terrorism attack, but at a high risk of joining an extremist group and playing a supportive role. Justice Jennifer Shafton granted the application and imposed a set of restrictions on the Grade 10 student’s freedoms that include regular reporting to a probation officer, not associating with anyone connected to a terrorist group and not using any social media platforms. Earlier today, a 16-year-old boy who was arrested in December as part of the same investigation made a brief appearance in the same courtroom with his lawyer and his father. His case was put over until later this month. 9