The Toronto Police Service (TPS) and Peel Regional Police (PRP) announced on Friday that they have arrested three Toronto men following a sweeping investigation into violent, hate-motivated crimes that led authorities to uncover terrorism links.
The multi-agency effort, known as Project Neapolitan, has resulted in 79 charges against the suspects for alleged kidnapping attempts, hostage taking, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, and weapons offenses informed, in part, by hate-motivated extremism.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) ran a separate but coordinated probe, leading to terrorism-related charges against one suspect.
The investigation began after two violent incidents in the Greater Toronto Area in 2025.
On May 31, 2025, a woman in Toronto’s Don Mills Road and Rochefort Drive area was approached by three men, one armed with a handgun and another with a knife. The suspects attempted to force her into a vehicle, but fled when a motorist intervened.
On June 24, 2025, two women in Mississauga were chased by three armed men carrying a handgun, rifle, and knife along Ellesboro Drive near Swanhurst Boulevard. Again, the suspects fled after being interrupted by a passerby.
Investigators linked the two cases and executed search warrants at residences in Toronto, seizing firearms, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and other evidence. Authorities determined the suspects’ crimes were hate-motivated, particularly targeting women and **members of the Jewish community.
Links to terrorism then prompted a parallel RCMP investigation, resulting in terrorism-related charges against one of the suspects.
A court-ordered publication ban remains in effect to protect judicial proceedings; authorities pledged to release more information when legally permitted.
TPS Chief Myron Demkiw said, “This investigation demonstrates the impact of strong collaboration in protecting our communities. Working with Peel Regional Police, the RCMP, and our law-enforcement and intelligence partners, we have arrested three individuals for offences targeting women and members of the Jewish community. The gravity of these alleged offences demanded a strong, united response - and that is exactly what this partnership delivered. I want to thank our members and all of our partners for their tireless efforts and their shared commitment to public safety.”
PRP Chief Nishan Duraiappah added, What began as armed, coordinated attempts to kidnap women led to significant arrests and charges, stopping a dangerous escalation of hate-motivated crimes and terrorism across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. Thank you to our investigators and partners at the Toronto Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their collaboration and tireless efforts to keep our communities safe.”
RCMP Assistant Commissioner Matt Peggs stated, This investigation and the resulting arrest reflect the strong and unwavering commitment of the RCMP and our partners: the Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police Service, and the Ontario Provincial Police, to keeping our communities safe. The RCMP Federal Policing - Central Region’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team remains dedicated to protecting all Canadians through their hard work, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to public safety.”
The three accused face a combined 79 criminal charges including conspiracy to commit kidnapping, hostage taking, sexual assault, weapons offenses, and firearms violations. They are scheduled to appear in court on January 29, 2026.
One of the men faces additional charges, including multiple firearms violations, possession of stolen property, breach of probation, and possession of weapons while prohibited.
Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), welcomed the arrests, warning of growing extremist threats.
“We are grateful that law enforcement has arrested these individuals. The details of the investigation indicate a grave threat, involving the Islamic State and attempts to target women and Jewish Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area,” said Shack.
“It is alarming that multiple Islamic State-related terrorist plots have been uncovered over the past two years in Canada. This goes far beyond the safety of any one group. It is a matter of national security and public safety. There is a ticking time bomb in our country that our leaders must confront before it’s too late,” he added.
“As we saw in Sydney, we are one intelligence failure away from a devastating loss of life. A lack of urgency on the part of our leaders puts Canadians in danger. We urge authorities to take decisive measures to hold extremists accountable for radicalizing Canadians and setting the stage for mass violence right here in our country.”
The arrests come as Toronto continues to deal with a sharp rise in incidents of antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.
Data released by the Toronto Police Service in May found that the city experienced a historic high in reported hate crime incidents in 2024, with the Jewish community, once again, being the leading target.
Last week, approximately 20 mezuzahs were stolen from the doorways of a seniors’ housing building near Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue W., on the northern boundary of Toronto.
A week earlier, a Toronto model said she was forced out of an Uber ride-share vehicle after midnight when the driver learned she was Jewish.
This week, a Toronto man was charged with willful promotion of hatred nearly a year after allegedly distributing antisemitic flyers in the city’s west end.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)