Messages are seen on a Canadian flag in a makeshift memorial in honour of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo
Messages are seen on a Canadian flag in a makeshift memorial in honour of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, outside the Lieutenant-Colonel John Weir Foote Armoury in Hamilton, October 24, 2014. Cirillo was killed during a shooting incident at the Canada War Memorial in Ottawa on October 22. Canada vowed on Friday to toughen laws against terrorism as an opinion poll showed a majority of Canadians lacked confidence in their security services' ability to deter homegrown radicals who struck twice in the past week. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

A Canadian teenager is facing terrorism-related charges after a robbery at a convenience store. He allegedly robbed the store, so that he could have enough money to fly overseas to join an extremist group.

The 15-year-old boy from Montreal is the first teenager in Canada to face charges for attempting to go overseas to take part in terrorist activities. He was arrested in October after he had been involved in the robbery where a West Island dépanneur had been held up with a knife by an assailant. The schoolboy apparently avoided eye contact with his father on Wednesday while the court proceedings were going on to charge him for assisting terrorism. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the teenager was responsible for the robbery with the intention of benefitting a terrorist group. The cash (around $2,200) was allegedly going to be used for overseas terrorist activities.

The teenager, the first Canadian to get arrested on terrorism charges, was charged under sections 83.181 and 83.2 of the criminal code. He, on the other hand, is pleading not guilty to the charges. It was his father who contacted police after he had found a bag of cash in the backyard. The teenager was arrested while he was at school. When his computer was searched, it allegedly revealed radical material. The boy told the officers that he had been living in sin as his country did not practise Sharia law. Later, he underwent a psychiatric evaluation. According to Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil, there is no innocence left. "It adds to the notion that nobody is not at risk," CTV News quoted her, "Quebec is just as vulnerable as any other place."

There were two specific charged against the teen: commission of an offence for a terrorist group and leaving the country to participate in activity of a terrorist group. An adult, if convicted, generally gets a life sentence for the commission of an offence for a terrorist group. However, CBC News reported that the teenager was likely to spend three years in jail at the most for the offence because he was a minor while conducting the offence.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au