Canadian authorities and extremism researchers are examining the online footprint of the teenager behind one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in years, after investigators revealed that he had posted antisemitic and violent content just days before the attack.

According to research by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, the alleged shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, shared hateful messages online shortly before opening fire Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community in British Columbia.

“I need to hate jews because the zionists want me to hate jews. This benefits them, somehow,” Van Rootselaar wrote in a post on Sunday, two days before the attack, according to the ADL’s analysis.

Police say the 18-year-old killed six people at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and two family members at his home before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victims included a 39-year-old teacher, five students between the ages of 12 and 13, and the suspect’s mother and 11-year-old stepbrother.

The ADL said Van Rootselaar showed a “troubling pattern of online radicalization,” including activity on an online platform known for glorifying graphic violence and linked to previous mass-casualty attacks.

Researchers also identified what they believe to be his account on X, which they say “regularly shared antisemitic and racist content” and praised past mass shooters, including the perpetrators of the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting and the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre.

According to the ADL, the profile image featured “an image of the Christchurch shooter superimposed over a Sonnenrad, a neo-Nazi symbol, and a transgender pride flag,” a combination analysts say reflects the increasingly hybrid and contradictory nature of online extremist subcultures.

The case fits a broader pattern, researchers warn.

Other recent mass shooters have also been linked to similar online spaces. In August, alleged Minneapolis shooter Robin Westman reportedly carried a weapon marked with antisemitic and anti-Israel slogans. The January 2025 Antioch High School shooter, Solomon Henderson, was later found to have maintained extensive documents praising Adolf Hitler and promoting extremist “groyper” content.

Despite the findings, police in British Columbia said they cannot yet speculate on Van Rootselaar’s motive. Officials confirmed that he had dropped out of school about four years ago and had limited contact with the community in recent years.

Tuesday’s attack was the deadliest mass shooting in Canada since 2020, when a gunman killed 23 people in Portapique, Nova Scotia. That tragedy prompted the federal government to launch a national gun buyback program, though the initiative has faced logistical obstacles and political resistance.

Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation Wednesday, offering condolences and emphasizing national solidarity.

“To the students, the teachers, the parents, and every resident of Tumbler Ridge: all of Canada stands with you,” Carney said in a statement. “May the memories of those lost be a blessing. May this community… find the strength to heal.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)