Toronto police link gun-for-hire networks to dozens of shootings at US Consulate and synagogues

Toronto police announced Tuesday that they have linked multiple shootings across the Greater Toronto Area, including an attack on the U.S. Consulate in March, to organized gun-for-hire networks targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions. Police Chief Myron Demkiw said young adults and teenagers are being recruited through encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp by criminal networks and paid to carry out shootings, which they must film to receive payment. "What we know is bad actors are using criminal elements in our city to carry out these dangerous incidents," Demkiw said at a press conference. "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."

Investigators have recovered two handguns believed connected to 27 separate shootings in the Greater Toronto Area. Both firearms originated in the United States, and ballistics testing is ongoing. Police are working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI to identify who is financing the attacks. Chief Superintendent Joe Matthews stated: "While we've been able to connect these firearms to numerous instances, we are still working to identify not only the individuals responsible for pulling the triggers but also those who may have directed or organized these acts of violence."

The investigation has resulted in charges against three individuals: 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett, who was shot by police during a raid and charged with first-degree murder; and 18-year-olds Jayon Burgher and Sheldon Tracey-Stewart, charged for their roles in some shootings. Police continue searching for 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, wanted in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting and considered armed and dangerous. No one was injured in the March consulate attack.

During a search warrant execution at an apartment building in northwest Toronto on Thursday, veteran Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was shot and later died in hospital. His death marks a significant escalation in the violence linked to these criminal networks. The March consulate shooting has been subject to international scrutiny, with US authorities investigating possible links to a global terror network. In May, the FBI charged Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi with terrorism in connection with nearly 20 attacks in Europe, and US court documents suggest he has claimed responsibility for the Toronto consulate shooting.