Two Saskatoon teenagers are in custody and facing charges of uttering threats following a national security investigation into online violent extremism, RCMP said in a press release.
The teens, whose identities are protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, were arrested on Feb. 11 and are scheduled to appear in Saskatoon provincial court on Tuesday.
The RCMP’s national security unit and the Saskatoon police started investigating “a report of an online account sharing content associated to violent extremism” on Feb. 10, according to Christina Zoernig, the acting communications manager for the Federal Policing Northwest Region.
The next day, officers arrested two 14-year-olds in Saskatoon.
The teens were charged with uttering threats contrary to section 264.1(1)(a) of the Criminal Code and remanded to custody at the Saskatoon Youth Correction Facility.
People charged under this offence allegedly threatened to cause death or bodily harm to a person or people.
The RCMP’s Federal Policing Northwest Region National Security unit won’t be releasing more details or commenting “as the criminal investigation is ongoing and before the courts,” according to Zoernig. The unit investigates cybercrime and terrorism in the Prairie provinces, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Saskatoon police did not respond to interview requests sent on the weekend and the RCMP said it was not able to provide in-depth commentary at this time.
