A deadly shooting attack was committed in a Jewish neighborhood of Montreal this afternoon (Monday).
The incident occurred in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. According to local reports, the shooting occurred near a kosher supermarket and a Chabad house in the neighborhood. Two police officers were shot, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries.
ZAKA reported that a second victim, a Jewish civilian, succumbed to wounds sustained during the shooting. The victim was identified as Moshe Mizrachi.
A ZAKA volunteer stated: "This is a difficult incident that is still being investigated by the local authorities. The shock in the community is very great. The deceased was well-known and loved, a man who prayed with us in the synagogue. We all share in the family's grief and await the results of the investigation that will clarify the circumstances of the incident. As soon as possible, we entered the scene to collect the remains and bring them for burial."
The shooter was killed in a shootout with police.
Videos from the scene showed security forces storming a local supermarket with weapons drawn. Footage from the scene showed a police officer, apparently hit by a bullet, lying with a gun in his hand and a civilian trying to help him, and not far from them, another man dressed in a military uniform -apparently the gunman - who was eliminated, lying motionless.
Chabad emissary to Montreal, Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Cohen, told Ynet that the shooting took place near the Chabad House. "The shooting was at a building that is close to the Chabad House - from the hotel they fired at another building. One shooter was caught, and the other is apparently still being sought," he said.
He said that the Canadian police evacuated citizens from nearby hotels to the Chabad House. "There are a hundred of us here, the volunteers and the people who were brought here. I was sitting in my office, and suddenly the police came in, said that it was forbidden to leave the building, and evacuated people from hotels to us. We are fine," he added.
Residents received an emergency alert that stated: “If you are in the affected area, shelter indoors, lock the doors, stay away from windows and follow instructions of local authorities."
MK Dan Illouz, born in Montreal, commented on the incident and said that "the quiet of the house where I grew up was disturbed." He said that official conclusions from the investigation have not yet been published, but added that the mere fear that this was an attack against Jews "tells the whole story."
Illouz claimed that months of “violent and unbridled pro-Palestinian incitement" had led to an increase in violence against Jews in Canada, and called on the country’s authorities to “take off their gloves" and act against the “infrastructure of hate." He also said that the State of Israel is open to absorbing any Jew who does not feel safe, along with those who seek to immigrate to Israel out of fulfillment of the Zionist dream.
Chabad spokesperson Rabbi Motti Seligson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that it does not appear that the attack was aimed at the Jewish community.