What happened
A 30-year-old Washington state resident, James Cody Bryant, has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder persons in a foreign country. He allegedly provided counsel, technical advice, and money to a Canadian-based trans radical, Jesse Van Rootselaar, who shot up a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in February.
Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old trans-identifying man, murdered his mother and half-brother before traveling to the school, where he injured 25 people and killed a teacher and five students. He then took his own life.
The FBI alleges that Bryant and Van Rootselaar met online in 2023 and began conspiring to commit the massacre in August 2025. Bryant allegedly provided tactical advice, discussed optimal ways to maximize carnage, and helped Van Rootselaar purchase items for the attack, including a handgun and explosives.
Despite allegedly having a change of heart just weeks before the shooting, Bryant did not alert authorities and instead continued to support Van Rootselaar. If convicted, Bryant could face life in prison.
