Fourth Calgarian arrested for terrorism-related offences in ongoing investigation

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, March 18, 2023, in Boston. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer.

A fourth person has been arrested in Calgary as part of an ongoing national security investigation related to terrorism-related posts on TikTok and other social media sites.

Federal Crown prosecutor Kent Brown says a 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday and 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's the fourth Calgarian — and the third teenager — to be arrested since the RCMP investigation started.

The teen, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is to appear in court on Jan. 5 — the same day as a 15-year-old who was arrested in October as part of the same investigation.

News of the arrest came during a break in a court hearing to finalize a 12-month peace bond application for a teenager who was arrested in June.

The 17-year-old boy, who also cannot be named, is prohibited from using social media and will be required to participate in an intervention plan that addresses ideological extremism.

Justice John Shaw signed off on the peace bond Thursday afternoon with a stern warning for the youth.

"I would not be surprised if there's a review in six months," he told the teen, who sat beside his lawyer, Vignesh Pillai, for the hearing.

"In my opinion, we are coming back sooner rather than later."

Earlier this week, court heard details of the teen's social media use on sites such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, including a video of him attending an LGBTQ protest where he taped himself saying "kill all (gay people)" and another that depicted blowing up a synagogue.

A risk assessment report on the 17-year-old concluded he was a "moderate risk to the Canadian public and a high risk of joining an extremist group."

It added that he had a "pathological fixation with Islamic extremist ideology, violence and weapons."

The fourth Calgarian, 20-year-old Zakarya Hussein, pleaded guilty earlier this month to one terrorism charge after admitting he shared recruitment videos for the Islamic State group on TikTok, wrote out instructions on how to make a bomb and posted on Snapchat that his mission would begin during Pride month.

Hussein is to be sentenced next year following a risk assessment report ordered by his lawyer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.