Officials in Toronto say hired gunmen are targeting Jewish sites. Police say young people are being recruited through encrypted messaging apps and recording their attacks in order to get paid.
Synagogues and other Jewish sites have been repeatedly hit by gunfire and arson attacks.
Some of the firearms used in the attacks have since been seized by investigators, and several arrests have now been made.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said, “What we know is bad actors are using criminal elements in our city to carry out these dangerous incidents. It is clear that some of the people hiring these criminals want to create a sense of fear in our communities, including the Jewish community.”
Last week, a Toronto police officer was shot and killed during an arrest linked to a shooting against the U.S. Consulate in Toronto. Investigators say the person behind the consulate shooting also paid the attackers who targeted the Jewish sites and filmed the attacks.
A suspect who was shot by police, 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, is being charged with first-degree murder.
Another suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, was arrested at Pearson International Airport on June 17 in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting.
Toronto police, along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and FBI, are investigating who is funding these attacks.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to receive the latest news from a Christian perspective.***
