An Edmonton-area youth, linked to a violent online network that targets vulnerable children, has been arrested for a terrorism-related offence, RCMP said Thursday.
RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s National Security Enforcement Team arrested the 15-year-old on May 12, police said in a news release.
The youth is in custody and police have commenced proceedings “by way of a terrorism peace bond pursuant to section 810.011 of the Criminal Code – fear of terrorism offence.”
A peace bond allows investigators to monitor people who appear likely to commit a crime when there’s no evidence of an actual offence.
Investigators believe the youth would commit terrorism offences related to the 764 online network.
The 764 network targets vulnerable children by prowling gaming sites like Minecraft and Roblox and then luring victims into private online chats on Discord and Telegram.
RCMP said the network is an “online ecosystem of violent online predators who routinely lure youth, particularly those in vulnerable sectors, and encourage them to commit sexual acts, self-harm, and the torture of animals.”
Elements of the network “are known to have extreme ideological views and are victimizing children through desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence,” the news release said.
The youth, who can not be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Alberta Court of Justice in Edmonton on June 3.
Marc-André Argentino, a senior researcher at Public Safety Canada, explains how 764 members exploit minors for status and popularity in the network.
