The teen, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, admitted to robbing a convenience store in 2014 when he was 15, but pleaded not guilty to trying to use the stolen money to travel to Syria. The boy's father, who immigrated from Algeria with his family in 2003, reported his own son to police in October 2014 after discovering a bag hidden behind their home containing a mask, knife and cash, Reuters reported.

His lawyer said the evidence only suggested his client merely wanted to go to Syria to help fellow Muslims, while the Crown argued the teen, who also engaged in Twitter conversations with terrorist sympathizer Martin Couture-Rouleau, was determined to get to Syria.

Couture-Rouleau fatally rammed Canadian Forces Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent with a car in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., in October 2014 and was eventually killed by police, theglobeandmail.com reported.

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