RCMP in New Brunswick confirm a youth who has been placed under a terrorism peace bond was previously arrested in connection with bomb threats that closed seven schools last fall.

The elementary, middle and high schools in the Fredericton area were shut down on Nov. 4, 2025, after an email was received that referenced “bombs surrounding the school(s),” according to Anglophone West School District’s superintendent,  David McTimoney.

Staff and students who had already arrived at the schools that morning had to be brought to evacuation sites.

“We received a series of threats … a single threat, I should say, made to a series of schools. One that certainly captured our attention and required a response,” McTimoney told Global News on Nov. 4.

The youth, whom RCMP allege is part of the online extremist group 764 Network, is the second young person in the province to be under a terrorism peace bond. The first case was reported earlier this month and was described as a first for New Brunswick.

2:04
Schools closed in Fredericton, Moncton due to threats

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says youth extremism is a concern.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

“It’s certainly something as a mom to three kids, including a now 14-year-old who is starting to get more exposed to the internet, I worry,” she told reporters last Friday.

Authorities say the online group known as 764 Network, or the COM, uses social media and online gaming platforms to spread its message and radicalize people.

The group is known to target children and youth by manipulating them into recording and sharing intimate images or taking part in acts of self-harm, violence and animal cruelty.

“In this file, the youth is believed to have been actively extorting victims to self-harm, making threats to schools in the province and in the United States, and to have been producing and distributing online material with the aim of gaining notoriety for the 764 Network,” RCMP wrote in a release last Thursday.

Last December, Canada added 764 to its list of terrorist entities.

The premier said the province has a role in tackling the problem of youth radicalization.

“This is not just a responsibility of parents, it is a responsibility of the education system, to make sure we’re informing and educating students … cases like the two that you’ve mentioned, they signal that more needs to be done,” she said.

Education Minister Claire Johnson says “ethical” and “responsible” use of technology is a part of the provincial curriculum, and something they’re expanding upon.

“Part of the education curriculum is the use of AI, the use of technology in an ethical, responsible way. And we know that technology is huge and it’s growing and it is a big part of our lives,” she said.

“We recognize that in the education system. So we’re looking to teach students how to use these tools as effectively and ethically as possible. It is a big part of the curriculum and we’re looking to continue doing that work.”

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

RCMP in New Brunswick are warning about a rise in youth radicalization, which they believe is fuelled by extremist online spaces.

Just this week, police said they arrested a youth late last year for the facilitation of a terrorist activity. That youth is now under a terrorism peace bond, which is a first for the province.

“A terrorism peace bond can be used when investigators fear that a terrorist offence may be carried out, enabling the use of robust monitoring and de-escalation tools,” RCMP said in a release.

“This case is part of a broader trend observed by the (Eastern Region’s National Security Enforcement Section) in New Brunswick involving youth radicalization driven by exposure to extremist online spaces and peer-to-peer networks.”

A spokesperson for the RCMP wouldn’t say which extremist network, if any, the youth was a part of.

“The youth is subject to very strict conditions as a result of entering into this peace bond. Police services across (New Brunswick) are aware of this peace bond and will, as they do every day, work diligently to keep our communities safe,” wrote Insp. Aaron Glode in an email.

0:42
Canada lists 4 new terrorist entities, including online extremist groups

David Hofmann, the director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program at the University of New Brunswick, said youth extremism is a problem seen nationwide.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

“This is the next big thing security-wise. The government and security agencies are focused on the fact that there are young people who, typically through the internet but also through face-to-face interaction are becoming more radical,” he said.

Hofmann said he believes the New Brunswick case could potentially be related to nihilist violent extremism groups, such as the 764 network, or possibly a far-right extremist group.

The 764 network is known to target children and youth by manipulating them into recording and sharing intimate images or taking part in acts of self-harm, violence and animal cruelty.

“Whether this is neo-Nazi far-right content, whether this nihilistic violent extremism, it’s the heinousness. It’s the awfulness of the act,” he said.

764 added to list of terrorist entities

Last December, Canada added 764 to its list of terrorist entities.

In total, four new groups were added under the Criminal Code, including three transnational online networks that promote ideologically motivated violent extremism (IMVE).

The move marked the first time any country had 764 as a terrorist organization, a statement from Public Safety Canada said.

In Nova Scotia, Halifax Regional Police alleged a 16-year-old  charged in January with child pornography-related and inciting hatred charges was affiliated with the 764 network.

1:55
Halifax teen allegedly part of online extremist group has 4 of 5 charges dropped

The Crown has since dropped four of five charges against that teen, who is scheduled to return to court Feb. 26, because there was “no realistic prospect of conviction on those four counts” after reviewing the evidence.

Meanwhile, Hofmann said extremism can be very challenging to identify and police, especially if ideologies are spread globally.

“It’s incredibly difficult to police this sort of thing, as the internet is ubiquitous … it’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.

RCMP are asking the public to remain vigilant and inform police of any suspicious activities.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.