B’nai Brith Canada has welcomed the decision by a Quebec court to deny bail to the man accused of firebombing a Montreal synagogue in December 2024, calling it a necessary step in confronting rising antisemitic violence.
“This decision is a welcome sign that the Courts have taken note of the danger hatemongers pose to society,” said Henry Topas, B’nai Brith Canada’s Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada — and the Cantor of the targeted congregation, in a statement on Monday. “Now more than ever, hate-fueled violence must be met with the full force of the law.”
In the statement, the organization commended Judge Salvatore Mascia for ordering that the accused, Mohamed Ilyess Akodad, remain behind bars until his trial. The December attack was the second firebombing targeting Congregation Beth Tikvah, following a previous incident on November 7, 2023 — one month after Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7.
Akodad, 19, was arrested by Montreal police in early April and has been detained since. On Thursday, he appeared at the Montreal courthouse for a bail hearing, where Judge Mascia ruled that he should remain in custody, according to a report in The Montreal Gazette. A formality hearing is scheduled for late July.
According to court records, Akodad faces six charges, including arson with disregard for human life, arson causing damage to property, and mischief.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on December 18, 2024, a firebomb was thrown through a window of Congregation Beth Tikvah, located on Westpark Blvd. in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. Police arriving on the scene were able to extinguish the fire before it spread.
Authorities also discovered that, on the same night, two windows were broken at the Federation CJA building directly across from the synagogue.
B’nai Brith Canada reaffirmed its support for Congregation Beth Tikvah and the broader Montreal Jewish community, stating, “B’nai Brith Canada stands firmly with Congregation Beth Tikvah and the Jewish community of Montreal.”
The December arson was among the most disturbing incidents highlighted in B’nai Brith Canada’s just-released 2024 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which documented a 215.7% rise in such acts in Quebec compared to the previous year.
In November of 2024, a man described as Arab entered a Jewish-owned business in Montreal and threatened to kill the business's owners as he went on an expletive-laden tirade against Jews and Israel.
That incident took place days after violent rioting broke out in Montreal during a pro-Palestinian Arab demonstration, in which demonstrators set fire to an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then threw firecrackers at the police, smashed the windows of stores, and set fire to several vehicles.
In July, a Jewish cemetery in the city was vandalized, with the vandals arranging stones over the graves into the shape of a swastika.