An arson attempt targeting Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, a Reform synagogue in Montreal, resulted in multiple criminal charges against a 38-year-old individual at the Montreal courthouse on Friday afternoon, reports the Montreal Gazette.
The 38-year-old was ordered by a judge to remain in custody over the weekend ahead of a scheduled Monday hearing, while the prosecution requested a psychiatric assessment before his next court appearance. He is up on six distinct counts, including arson, possession of an explosive substance, and arson through negligence.
According to police representative Caroline Chèvrefils, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 12:15 a.m. Friday morning regarding a suspect attempting to ignite a religious building on Sherbrooke St. West near Wood Ave.
Arriving officers discovered a shattered rear window and accelerants, leading investigators to deduce that an individual tried to firebomb the synagogue from the inside. Montreal firefighters quickly contained a minor blaze on the building's exterior, while municipal security personnel from Westmount assisted police in apprehending a male suspect nearby.
Arson squad detectives are reviewing area security footage to reconstruct the timeline of the attack. No one was hurt in the attempted arson and harm to the structure remained negligible.
For the time being, Montreal police are treating the incident strictly as property arson rather than a bias-motivated crime, according to spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
“We’re not closing the case, but at this moment the avenue (that the incident is a hate crime) is not being taken," Brabant stated. “We’ve looked into it, we’ve met with the suspect, and with the information gathered at this moment, the hate crime unit is not involved. But the dossier is still open and the investigation is ongoing."
The synagogue’s spiritual leader, Lisa Grushcow, commended the temple staff for working through the night alongside emergency personnel, and praised Westmount security for their swift capture of the suspect. However, she expressed deep exhaustion over the recurring vulnerability of Canadian Jewish institutions.
Commenting on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement this past week establishing an anti-antisemitism task force, Grushcow dismissed the initiative as "too little, too late," advocating instead for the rigorous enforcement of existing criminal statutes.
Carney addressed the Montreal incident via a social media post, writing, “I am appalled by the attempted arson of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal overnight. I am relieved nobody was injured and that a suspect has been apprehended. Across our country, antisemitism has surged. Nothing can justify the hate, discrimination and violence that Jewish Canadians are experiencing right now. It is up to all of us to name this hate and confront it."
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also posted a response on social media, stating that her “thoughts are with the community affected by this hateful and unacceptable act."
“Antisemitism has no place in Montreal. We remain in close contact with the SPVM to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to protect places of worship and all communities across Montreal. No one should ever fear practising their faith or attending a place of worship," the mayor wrote.
The targeting of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom follows a prior incident in February 2025, when the facility was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
The incident is the latest in a wave of antisemitic attacks in Canada in general, and in Montreal in particular.
Congregation Beth Tikvah in the city was firebombed in November of 2023 and again in December of 2024. The suspect was arrested by Montreal police in early April of 2025.
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.
This past November, the words “Kill all Jews" along with “Allahu Akbar" were found scrawled on the wall of a bathroom on the Concordia University campus.
In March, a kosher restaurant and a neighboring business in Montreal were vandalized.
In late May, an anti-Israel mob marched through downtown Montreal and hung effigies of prominent Israeli and American politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and US President Donald Trump.