At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, a 20-year-old man who admitted to firebombing the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue and striking a nearby Jewish community building in Dollard-des-Ormeaux asserted his actions stemmed from severe substance abuse rather than antisemitic bias, CBC reported.
Mohamed Ilyess Akodad appeared before Quebec Court Judge Karine Giguère following his April 2025 arrest and subsequent guilty plea in January. The proceedings revisit a December 18, 2024, incident where an incendiary attack caused smoke damage, broken glass, and structural harm to the synagogue, alongside a broken glass entryway at the neighboring Federation CJA offices.
The localized violence drew harsh rebukes from political leadership at the time, with then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labeling it "a vile antisemitic attack against Montreal's Jewish community."
The December 2024 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 faced six total counts, encompassing arson, attempted arson, property damage, and possession of explosive materials. Testifying on Tuesday, he stated that while attending a party, he was approached with an offer to complete a "mission" targeting two properties and a vehicle in exchange for a $15,000 payout. Within minutes, an unidentified individual called him to coordinate a driver and supply arson tools. Akodad maintained he had no idea the locations were Jewish institutions.
"I deserve to be severely punished, but after serving my sentence, I would like to go to the synagogue to explain myself," Akodad told the court.
He attributed his compliance to heavy intoxication from codeine and cannabis, explaining he battled an ongoing dependency on both substances.
Akodad, who acknowledged a prior criminal record involving shoplifting and an Ontario motor vehicle theft conviction, claimed he ultimately failed to ignite the second fire at the community hub.
"I panicked. I didn't want to set the fire. I have never done that kind of thing. I'm not capable of doing that kind of thing," he testified.
Because he reportedly refused to return to complete the destruction, Akodad said his anonymous handlers cut contact and refused the full payout, adding he only collected $3,000.
The defense is pushing for a suspended sentence anchored by four months of home confinement, paired with strict probationary rules and an order to pay over $7,000 to cover the property damage. Conversely, the Crown is demanding a two-year prison sentence, factoring in time already spent in custody. Judge Giguère is scheduled to deliver the final sentencing decision on September 10.
The firebombing of Congregation Beth Tikvah came amid a disturbing rise in antisemitism in Montreal.
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 of 2024, a Jewish cemetery in the city was vandalized, with the vandals arranging stones over the graves into the shape of a swastika.
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.