Two Canadian teenagers with ties to ISIS have been arrested over a plot to bomb a pro-Israel rally at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

According to court documents, the first arrest came on December 15, when authorities charged one youth with multiple terrorism offenses, including communicating bomb-making instructions and directing terrorist activity against Jewish persons. He was later charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Following his arrest, it was revealed that the teen’s Iraqi family had attempted to intervene before his detention, arranging sessions with an imam to counter extremist influences.

Two months later, on February 15, police arrested the second suspect. He faces three terrorism charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and attempting to obtain prohibited firearms. Evidence collected by investigators included components commonly used in explosive devices – specifically acetone, oxidizer, and metal ball bearings.

Shimon Fogel from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which was unaware of the specific target until contacted by media, criticized law enforcement’s response to these threats.

“They understand the extent to which we are under threat,” Fogel tells Global News. “Yet they are not taking all the steps necessary, they are not using the provisions of the Criminal Code in ways that are going to offer protection to those who are at risk.”

“I think it’s consistent with what we have seen across the country, where the violent and radicalized protests that have manifested themselves on our streets are losing all constraints in terms of how far they are prepared to go in order to advance their position.”

This case emerges amid a concerning spike in antisemitic attacks across Canada. Last month, authorities arrested a Pakistani foreign student in Quebec who was planning a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn.