The Toronto Police Service charged an 18-year-old man, of no fixed address, in connection with shootings in March targeting synagogues in Toronto and Vaughan, in Ontario, the department said on Wednesday.
The department’s counter terror unit was part of the probe, which included the York Regional Police, the department said.
The teen was charged with two counts each of firing a gun and of mischief to property worth more than $5,000, and one count each of unauthorized possession of a gun, having a weapon in a motor vehicle, possessing a prohibited device, careless storage of a prohibited device and having such a device in a vehicle.
The suspect, who was 17 at the time of the offense, is due in court on May 20.
The department said that the teen is suspected of shooting a gun outside synagogues just before midnight on March 6 and just after midnight on March 7. Doors to the synagogues were damaged. People inside the first synagogue weren’t hurt.
Simon Wolle, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada, told JNS that the group “is grateful to the Toronto Police Service, York Regional Police and the Hate Crime Prevention Unit for their professional work.”
“Canada’s Jewish community is facing threats at an unprecedented scale and with appalling frequency. More must be done to combat antisemitism and extremism in this country,” Wolle said. “A whole-of-government approach is critical to ensure proper coordination between municipal, provincial and federal leaders, as well as between security agencies and partners.”
“Our eight-point plan outlines these recommendations and others, which we have urged the federal government to adopt without delay,” he told JNS. “Canada’s leadership stands at a crossroads and must act with moral clarity and persistence.”
Myron Demkiw, chief of the Toronto Police Service, stated that “these incidents were a terrible act of violence against the Jewish community in our cities.”
“This is a clear message: targeted hate will be pursued, prosecuted and stopped,” stated James Pasternak, a member of the Toronto City Council.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto stated jointly that they are “encouraged to learn that a suspect has been charged in connection with the shootings at Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto and Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto in Vaughan this past March.”
“These attacks shook the sense of safety not only for those congregations but for Jewish communities across the region,” the two stated. “We thank the Toronto Police Service and York Regional Police for their diligence and coordination in advancing this investigation. Their work sends a clear signal that those who target our community will be identified and held accountable.”
“The Jewish community, like all Canadians, must have confidence that acts of violence and intimidation will be met with serious consequences,” they added. “Multiple shootings targeting synagogues represent a dangerous escalation. Canada’s reputation as a safe and inclusive country depends on our collective willingness to confront this reality directly.”
