Halifax Regional Police have arrested a suspect in connection with antisemitic vandalism last weekend in the eastern Canadian city.
Gezim Topalli, 31, was arrested in his Halifax home on Tuesday and charged with three counts of mischief related to religious property, three counts of property damage and one count of public incitement of hatred, according to Wednesday’s statement.
Meet Gezim Topalli, the 31-year-old man Halifax Police have arrested for a series of antisemitic hate crimes last weekend. He’s a Free Palestine activist who mocks the Holocaust, does Hitler salutes, and says he wants to slaughter Christians.
— Jaime Kirzner-Roberts (@jaimekr) September 17, 2025
H/t @l3v1at4an https://t.co/pmsfxNUk81 pic.twitter.com/LbBTEhnX9l
His arrest follows an investigation into six antisemitic graffiti messages found around the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, including three written directly on Jewish sites—Shaar Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and a building associated with Chabad-Lubavitch of the Maritimes Rohr Family Institute. Three other incidents were on nearby sidewalks.
The graffiti included a Nazi swastika and the words “Jews did 9/11.”
Police had released a photo of the suspect earlier this week, asking the public for help in identifying him.
“I am pleased with the outcome of this investigation. While I credit the quick and thorough work of HRP’s hate crime investigator, I also want to thank the public who came forward to help identify the suspect,” said Chief Don MacLean. “The swift and seamless collaboration between police and the community represents our city taking a strong and unified stance against the promotion of hatred.”
