Canada Has A Serious Antisemitism Problem

"[An officer already on site as part of a security detail since the last attack heard the distinct sound of a single gunshot near where he was stationed. He then spotted] a white late-model Honda Accord with no licence plates in the area and saw it speeding away from the scene."

"It's because of that officer's actions that we were able to get up on our suspect and that's why we actually managed to get involved in a pursuit." 

"[That the shot was fired while a Toronto police cruiser was parked in front of the building with its emergency lights on] perhaps speaks to the brazen quality of this act and the recklessness that's involved, certainly, to engage in a high-speed pursuit."

"[Investigators] would not, as a matter of course, rule out any possible connection [between the latest consulate incident and the shots that were fired at two Jewish-owned Kavi's bakery locations late Saturday night]." 

Deputy Chief Frank Barredo, Toronto Police Service  

 

"What kind of city have we become? Paid shooters roaming through our streets to spread terror."

"We will support and wish for the safety of all the diplomats and their staff while living in Toronto."

Toronto Councillor James Pasternak

 

"Canada has a serious antisemitism problem the government needs to get serious about."

"Everyone needs to wake up. Attacks like this are the canary in the coal mine."

"The attackers are coming after our Judeo-Christian values. We need to act like it."

Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott

A shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, the second this year, set off a high-speed chase and a manhunt. Police called the attack 'brazen' and 'reckless,' but didn't say why the consulate was targeted again.  CBC News

 

Five months ago, gunshots were fired at the U.S. Consulate building in Toronto. An investigation that followed at that time established that three young men -- Sheldon Tracey-Stewart 18, Zara Jabbi 19, and Nicholas Bennett 19, were responsible for that shooting, an attack described as a "national security incident". Multiple firearms charges face all three, while Bennett is charged as well with first-degree murder of Toronto police officer Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43. While attempting to serve an arrest warrant, Constable Pinizzotto was shot to death by Nicholas Bennett.

 

"Police allege  young people are being recruited through encrypted messaging applications to carry out attacks and are required to record the incidents as proof, to receive payment", police explained in a public announcement. Ballistics from seized handguns, the one used in the death of Constable Pinizzotto included, have been linked to 27 shootings in the city. Another link is an unsealed criminal complaint where prosecutors in the U.S. suspect the attacks were ordered by Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi militia commander with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

 

Now, police in Toronto dealing with another shooting at the U.S. Consulate, consider a link with the previous shooting there, part of a gun-for-hire network, targeting various city locations, mostly synagogues and Jewish schools. The Monday shooting at the U.S. consulate on University Avenue led to a high-speed chase, ending when police decided they would no longer engage in the high-speed pursuit for fear of potential crashes on busy roadways -- at 5:00 a.m. 

 

An officer stationed near the building immediately reported seeing a white Honda Accord with no licence plates speed away from the scene, Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said. (Toronto Police Service)

 

A single spent shell casing was located that caused some damage to the building's facade. Two security personnel at the consulate were uninjured. Two Jewish-owned Kavi's bakery locations were also shot at, late on Saturday night on St.Clair Avenue and Steeles Avenue, damaging both facades.  

"I can assure Torontonians that the Toronto Police Service and our partners, federal, provincial and otherwise, are very much actively working to not only deter, but apprehend people involved in this."

"We have made arrests in practically all of the other shootings, at great cost to the Toronto Police Service [the death of Corporal Pinizzotto] in one instance."

Deputy Police Chief Frank Barredo

 

"[The] warning signs are becoming impossible to ignore [Canada must] get tough on terror."

"Hold accountable those perpetrating and directing these attacks."

"And ensure law enforcement and security agencies have the tools they need to protect Canadians."

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs  

Police at the scene after a shooting outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on Monday.  Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP