Bridgewater teen's bail conditions include ban on associating with terrorists

16-year-old boy placed on house arrest, prohibited from using internet, possessing weapons or explosives

A Bridgewater teen’s release conditions on charges of plotting attacks at two high schools includes house arrest and a ban on using the internet, possessing weapons or explosives and associating with terrorists. The 16-year-old boy was granted bail Tuesday in Bridgewater youth court after spending nearly four months on remand at the Nova Scotia Youth Facility in Waterville. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was released by Judge Catherine Benton on a bail order secured by $500 pledges by two “responsible adults” – his mother and an older male relative.

The boy must reside with his parent and can only leave the residence when accompanied by her or the other surety or an adult approved by them, or for a number of exceptions, including education programs or activities, legal commitments and medical emergencies or appointments. He is also permitted to attend counselling sessions, meetings of the South Shore Community Justice Society and leisure activities approved by one of his sureties. The order requires the teen to remain in Nova Scotia, surrender any passport or travel documents to Bridgewater police, report to police by phone every Friday, and have no contact with a Manitoba boy with whom he is accused of conspiring to commit murder.

Police allege the pair were planning simultaneous attacks at schools in both provinces. The Nova Scotia teen was arrested March 17, when Bridgewater police searched his home and allegedly seized detailed handwritten plans, imitation weapons, including a roughly made pipe bomb and assault rifle, electronic devices, including a cellphone and a laptop, and articles of clothing with hate symbols and concerning comments on them. Besides murder conspiracy, he was charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to students at Park View Education Centre in Bridgewater.

Last month, police laid an additional charge of counselling the Manitoba boy to commit murder. Bridgewater police announced the arrest March 18, saying Interpol and the FBI had contacted them March 13 about online conversation between two Canadian youths that began in February. In their communication, the pair allegedly discussed “their desire to mount a violent attack on students at Park View Education Centre,” police said.

The police news release said that “while the attack was not believed to be imminent, it was clear that they had committed some thought and planning to the idea.” On March 16, RCMP in Manitoba arrested a 14-year-old boy who had allegedly been talking to the Bridgewater teen about a plan to carry out an attack at Rivers Collegiate Institute in Rivers, northwest of Brandon. The Bridgewater teen is banned from using the internet or possessing a computer, cellphone, pager or any other device capable of connecting to the internet, except for an electronic monitoring device.

He is specifically prohibited from being on any social media or communication platform – including, but not limited to, Discord, Roblox, X, Ko-fi, YouTube, Telegram, Instagram and Facebook – and from accessing or possessing any material related to school shooters, “other perpetrators of mass violence” and true crime and from viewing any material published by a terrorist group as defined in the Criminal Code. He’s also not allowed to possess any objects, literature or documents bearing the logo of a terrorist group and cannot associate or communicate with anyone with a criminal record or anyone who participates in a terrorist group or “aids, abets, counsels or threatens terrorist activity.”

The boy is not to have or consume alcohol or drugs or possess a gun, imitation firearm, crossbow, axe, restricted weapon, prohibited device or ammunition, as well as any explosive substance “or precursor thereof.” He can’t have a knife or cutting tool or instrument while outside his residence and is banned from accessing or possessing any information that explains how to make or use an explosive or a firearm. The release order was worked out by provincial Crown attorney Shauna MacDonald and defence lawyers Shawnee Gregory and Claire Levasseur.

The judge did not read the bail conditions into the record in the interest of time. She was assured by defence counsel that the youth understood and was willing to comply with all the terms and that his adult supervisors were aware of their responsibilities. The case will return to youth court Sept. 2.

The public was excluded from the courtroom for a portion of Tuesday’s proceeding while the judge handled a new filing by federal Crown attorney Lee-Ann Conrod, who attended with two RCMP officers. In addition to the exclusion of the public, Conrod and the defence asked that the contents of the federal file be sealed and banned from publication. Conrod said they were making the request under a section of the Criminal Code that allows for the exclusion of the public when it’s necessary for the proper administration of justice.

Benton granted the motion and excluded everyone from the gallery except for the two Mounties, the accused’s mother and his other supervisor.