10 arrested in Canada over attempt to join ISIS – police

MONTREAL, Canada (UPDATED) – Canadian police arrested 10 young people as they allegedly tried to leave the country to join the Islamic State (ISIS) group, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Tuesday, May 19.

The federal police arrested the group, all residents of the Montreal area, last weekend at the city’s international airport and their passports have been withdrawn.

Charges have not been filed and the families and relatives of the 10 are being interviewed, police said.

Local media reported that one parent had notified authorities of the planned departure.

ISIS is known for its brutality in the swathes of territory it controls in Syria and Iraq. The group’s radical ideology has inspired thousands of people to join it or try to send support.

Canada in particular has been concerned over the number of youths from the country who have tried to join the group.

University of Ottawa student John Maguire was reportedly killed in December in Syria, while six teenagers from the Montreal area left the country and apparently joined IS several months ago.

Another teen was arrested in March for aiming to join the ISIS jihadists.

Lawmakers recently endorsed a new anti-terror law that boosts powers of Canada’s spy agency amid concerns of attacks within the country. – Rappler.com

(“Closeup of Canadian passport“ image courtesy Shutterstock)