Rivers teen accused of plotting school attack

Police in western Manitoba and Nova Scotia have arrested a pair of youths after they allegedly planned a co-ordinated attack at two schools in their respective provinces.

Manitoba RCMP confirmed in a news release Wednesday that officers had arrested a 14-year-old boy, who police said was planning an attack at Rivers Collegiate, about 40 kilometres northwest of Brandon.

Blue Hills RCMP officers initiated a traffic stop on a school bus near Provincial Road 250 on Monday and arrested the suspect, who was unarmed. His phone and electronic devices were seized.

A subsequent search of two other properties associated with the youth resulted in the seizure of additional electronic devices and other items, including two firearms owned by a relative, RCMP said.

The youth has been charged with uttering threats. Police say more charges are possible as the investigation continues.

RCMP Supt. Lee Fortin said officers took “immediate steps” to find and arrest the suspect.

“The priority from the outset was the safety and security of the students at Rivers Collegiate,” he said.

On March 13, INTERPOL and the FBI alerted the Bridgewater Police Service in Nova Scotia of a “concerning online conversation” between a youth in that province and a youth in Manitoba, Bridgewater police said in a news release on Wednesday morning. INTERPOL also alerted Manitoba RCMP the same day.

Manitoba RCMP said officers were informed that the male youth from Rivers was actively discussing and planning to harm other students at Rivers Collegiate.

“An investigation immediately began to identify and locate the 14-year-old who engaged in these conversations and to bring him safely into custody prior to the start of the school week,” RCMP said.

Bridgewater police said the ongoing conversation began in late February and included the Nova Scotia youth discussing their desire to “mount a violent attack” on students at a secondary school in the province.

“While the attack was not believed to be imminent, it was clear that they had committed some thought and planning to the idea,” Bridgewater police said.

A 15-year-old Nova Scotia girl was arrested on Tuesday. Officers executed a search warrant at her residence, where they located detailed handwritten plans and imitation weapons, along with clothing with hate symbols and concerning messages, police said.

Deputy Chief Danny MacPhee with Bridgewater police said the girl wasn’t home at the time but family members were. The suspect was later arrested a short distance away.

“This is a big win for us,” he said. “Any time that we can step in at a planning phase of some mass event is so much better for us as police, community, students than anybody walking into an active attack or a major incident.”

The Nova Scotia youth was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and uttering threats. Police said they are investigating whether charges relating to hate crimes and other offences can be laid.

Bridgewater police said investigators believe the two youths had been planning “simultaneous attacks” at their local schools.

Neither of the teens can be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Rolling River School Division Supt. Jason Cline sent an email to parents on Tuesday informing them that RCMP took a student from Rivers into custody while he was on a divisional school bus.

“Following the arrest, officers attended the high school to ensure the safety of students and staff and to gather further information as part of their investigation,” Cline said in the email.

The arrest was in relation to “online threat making behaviours by a student toward others,” the email said.

Cline said the school division and RCMP have been working together through a “structured risk assessment process.”

“During this time, it is important for the community to know that students and staff are safe and that the division remains in close partnership with RCMP to ensure continued safety,” he said.

Heather Lamb, mayor of the Municipality of Riverdale, which includes Rivers, said the municipality became aware of the incident through information released by law enforcement.

“News like this affects us not just as officials, but as neighbours, parents, guardians, teachers and community members,” she said in an email to the Sun on Wednesday. “Whenever a situation involves young people, schools and safety, it touches the very heart of who we are as a municipality.”

She said the municipality will continue to rely on verified information and encouraged others to do the same.

“We will not comment on rumours or speculation. This is important not only for the integrity of the investigation but also for the well-being of the youth and families involved.”

Lamb said the municipality’s focus now is on supporting the community.

A woman whose daughter attended school with the Rivers youth, who agreed to speak with the Sun on condition of anonymity, said it’s “earth shattering” to hear that someone she watched grow up could be arrested for such an act.

“As far as how we are feeling as a community, completely shattered and disassembled,” she said. “As a small community we are always looking out for each other and watching everyone’s kids grow up beside ours.”

She emphasized the importance of parents staying vigilant about their children’s phone and social media use, along with having open discussions with them.

Police in Manitoba have dealt with several threats that involved students or were directed toward schools recently, leading to a few arrests and some schools closing and cancelling classes as a precaution.

“It is very concerning that these kinds of threats do happen in the province,” said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Melanie Roussel.

Roussel said incidents such as the Feb. 10 mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., can lead to an increase in reports of threats.

Every threat is investigated thoroughly, she said.

“We take these threats very seriously and we act on them quickly. We work with the school divisions and with the schools. Our job is to ensure the students are safe, and we do everything to make sure they are safe.”

School safety has been under increased scrutiny in Canada since eight people — including six victims shot at a secondary school — were killed and dozens injured in Tumbler Ridge.

Last month, the Winnipeg Police Service said officers investigated 11 threats against city schools in a 16-day span, with none deemed credible.

Three people — two Winnipeg teens and a 30-year-old Toronto woman — were charged with uttering threats. A 10-year-old boy was referred to an alternative justice program.

In October, RCMP charged a 15-year-old boy who allegedly pointed an airsoft gun at a student at a school in Ebb and Flow First Nation.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com, with files from Chris Kitching and The Canadian Press