A broad syndication of guns-for-hire is driving a wave of targeted violence across Toronto, including the shooting at the US Consulate and multiple attacks on local synagogues, according to findings detailed by the Toronto Police Service.
During a Tuesday press conference, Police Chief Myron Demkiw explained that ballistics testing traced recovered firearms across several distinct crime scenes. He revealed that the perpetrators formed an organized group that shared weapons and documented their offenses on video.
“What we are dealing with in this case and other related incidents, including shootings at Jewish synagogues and schools, is a recurring and similar modus operandi," Demkiw noted, as quoted by JNS. “That is criminals for hire."
Demkiw stated that organizers use encrypted messaging platforms to source young recruits for targeted assaults. To claim their financial payouts, the youth “are required to film their attacks."
When questioned about the ultimate financial backers of the operation, the chief indicated that while intelligence reports suggest the involvement of “foreign actors," local police and federal law enforcement partners are still working to definitively crack the syndicate. He emphasized that the organizers clearly intend "to create a sense of fear in our communities, including in the Jewish community."
Official court filings have formally linked the shootings at the diplomatic post and the Jewish houses of worship to Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi. The Kataib Hezbollah commander is currently in US custody confronting international terrorism charges.
Responding to the security update, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) warned that the revelation “should concern every Canadian. The perpetrators of these shootings and those directing these attacks on Canadian soil must be held accountable. This is a matter of safeguarding Canada’s national security and our Canadian way of life."
The complex investigation recently turned tragic when a Toronto police officer was fatally shot while attempting to execute a search warrant tied to the March 10 consulate attack. A 19-year-old suspect was apprehended at the scene and is slated to face a first-degree murder charge for the officer's death.
The multi-agency crackdown intensified on June 11, with tactical teams executing five coordinated search warrants. The raids netted two additional suspects, aged 18 and 19, at separate properties. Law enforcement units continue to actively pursue a third outstanding 19-year-old suspect.
Toronto and the area have seen a sharp uptick in antisemitic violence since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.
In early March, shots were fired at two Toronto-area synagogues within several hours. Several suspects have been arrested in connection with those shootings.
Also in March, gunfire struck Temple Emanu-El in North York, as members of the congregation were marking the holiday of Purim. There were no injuries but the building was damaged.
In late April, a male suspect attempted to force his way into an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, and assaulted a victim before fleeing the scene.
A day later, a rock was hurled at the window of Aleph Bet Judaica, a Judaica shop in Toronto, marking the third time this particular store has been attacked.