Beaumont, Alta. teen accused of trying to join ISIS denied bail

A Beaumont, Alta. teenager accused of trying to join the Islamic State has been denied bail.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified, was arrested in the community south of Edmonton by the RCMP's integrated national security enforcement team in March.

He was ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment last month. Evidence presented in the hearing and the judge's reasons for denying bail are covered by a publication ban. 

The teen was charged with trying to leave the country to fight with the Islamic State, an organization that controls a vast tract of territory in Syria and northern Iraq.

He faces two charges: that he tried to leave Canada to commit an act of terror, and that he tried to leave the country to join a terrorist group.

The charges accuse the teen of trying to leave the country to commit "murder in circumstances that constitute terrorist activity."

The charges were added to the Criminal Code in 2013, as part of the Combating Terrorism Act.

Michel Juneau Katsuya, a former senior intelligence officer at CSIS, says courts are now denying bail to people facing terrorism charges because some suspects may be prepared to kill themselves while committing an act of terror. 

"Allowing someone to go on bail could simply allow them to maybe commit that action so remaining in custody is probably a necessity for security," he said. 

Juneau Katsuya feels Canada is finally treating terrorism allegations more seriously, especially after the murders of Canadian soldiers at the National War Memorial in Ottawa and in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu.