Canadian federal police arrested a Montreal teenager after the FBI warned authorities that the minor was allegedly planning an attack on a local high school while embracing neo-Nazi and other violent extremist ideologies.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched its investigation several weeks ago after receiving intelligence from the FBI. Investigators say the teen allegedly used artificial intelligence as part of his planning for a potential attack and posted threatening messages on Telegram targeting Muslims, Haitians and members of the LGBTQ community.

RCMP Sgt. Érique Gasse said investigators had grounds to believe the teenager was involved in ideologically motivated violent extremism. The suspect was described as identifying with neo-Nazi and accelerationist movements as well as nihilistic extremist ideology.

Accelerationist extremists generally seek to use violence and chaos to destabilize society, while Canadian intelligence officials describe nihilistic violent extremism as a growing threat centered on the rejection of traditional social and moral structures in favor of violent disorder.

Heavily armed RCMP tactical officers moved in Friday morning at the teenager’s family residence in Montreal’s Rosemont area, near Maisonneuve Park. Police said they did not know whether the suspect was armed, prompting the use of a tactical team. Investigators subsequently searched the residence and seized electronic devices for examination.

The teenager’s identity and exact age have not been released because he is a minor. He was expected to appear in Quebec youth court, while investigators said additional allegations could emerge depending on what is recovered from the seized electronics.

The case comes amid mounting concern inside Canada’s security establishment over the radicalization of minors through violent online communities. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service reported this year that nearly one in 10 of its terrorism investigations now involves at least one person under 18, with children as young as 13 appearing in counterterrorism cases.

CSIS has specifically warned of young people participating in online neo-Nazi and nihilistic extremist networks, where users circulate violent propaganda, glorify previous mass attackers and sometimes exchange ideas about carrying out attacks themselves. The agency has also identified growth in interconnected accelerationist and neo-Nazi communities operating across multiple online platforms.

The Montreal case highlights another emerging concern: the potential use of readily available artificial intelligence tools by individuals moving from online extremist content toward real-world violence.

For investigators, however, the international intelligence trail appears to have worked. Information originating with the FBI reached Canadian authorities before the alleged plan could advance further, triggering an investigation and ultimately the teenager’s arrest.