Police in Nova Scotia say a teen in Bridgewater and a youth from Manitoba have been arrested for allegedly planning simultaneous attacks at their local schools.

The Bridgewater Police Service said it was alerted Friday by the international police agency Interpol and the FBI that a 15-year-old from the town and a Manitoba youth had been talking online about their desire to mount a “violent attack” at Park View Education Centre and Rivers Collegiate.

Police arrested the Bridgewater teen on Tuesday. A news release Wednesday said officers searched a residence and discovered handwritten plans, imitation weapons, including an imitation pipe bomb and assault rifle, and clothing with hate symbols and “concerning comments.” A cellphone and laptop were also taken by police.

The youth in Manitoba was arrested on Monday by local RCMP. Rivers, Man., is a community about 40 kilometres northwest of Brandon

Danny MacPhee, Bridgewater’s deputy police chief, said the seized electronic devices are being sent for analysis to uncover potential connections.

“The plans were in the planning stages. They weren’t imminent, so we believe we’ve kind of hit this off before it escalated,” said MacPhee.

He said there’s no evidence indicating ties to specific groups or organizations, but the investigation is still in its early stages.

Park View Education Centre, operated by the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, is a public senior high school in Bridgewater that has about 900 students.

In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the regional education centre said it has scaled up student support and briefed staff on available resources.

The 15-year-old is scheduled to appear in Bridgewater youth court Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and uttering threats to cause death.

Police are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime, and other charges could be laid.

Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact Bridgewater police.

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