A 26-year-old man from Toronto has been arrested on terrorism charges, police announced on Friday, as well as charges for two attempted kidnappings in the Greater Toronto Area.
The charges are in relation to offences targeting women and members of the Jewish community, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) said in a news release on Friday.
Waleed Khan is accused of providing funds and property to terrorist group ISIS, aiding terrorist activity and conspiracy to commit murder for a terrorist group, according to an RCMP release.
RCMP said Khan’s crimes allegedly took place between June 17 and Aug. 17 this year.
Khan, along with two other men from Toronto, is also accused of two attempted kidnappings in the Greater Toronto Area in May and June, according to the Toronto police release.
Osman Azizov, 18, and Fahad Sadaat, 19, were arrested in connection with the attacks, police said
The alleged kidnapping attempts prompted an investigation into the three men, according to Myron Demkiw, chief of police for TPS.
“The investigation identified alleged offences that were motivated in part by hate-motivated extremism with potential links to terrorism,” Demkiw said in a YouTube video posted by TPS following the announcement of the charges.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow posted about the arrests on social media on Friday, commending police for uncovering “potential threats to public safety motivated by hate.”
“I thank these police services for their continued vigilance to keep us safe,” Chow said in the post.
Attempted kidnappings spurred larger investigation, police say
The first alleged kidnapping attempt by the three accused is said to have happened on May 31 near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue E., according to a June Toronto police release.
Four men held a woman at gunpoint and told her to get into a vehicle, the release says, and then drove away after the woman refused and screamed for help, per the release.
“During the investigation, officers were able to confirm that only three suspects attempted to kidnap the victim,” it says.
Police found guns, ammunition and evidence that suggested the alleged offences were hate motivated while executing a search warrant on the accused’s home, said Myron Demkiw, Toronto chief of police. (Toronto Police Service/YouTube)
The second attempt was in Mississauga on June 24, when three men allegedly chased and tried to kidnap two women walking near Britannia Road W. and Queen Street S., Peel Regional Police said in a release in August.
One of them “may have had a gun and another a knife,” Peel police said. Police say a bystander intervened and the men drove away in an Audi SUV.
Khan, Azizov and Sadaat were arrested in August in relation to the incident in June, according to the release from Peel police.
“PRP connected the two occurrences and with TPS assistance identified and arrested the suspects,” Toronto police said in the Friday release.
Alleged crimes motivated by antisemitism, police say
The investigation into Khan’s alleged terrorism was passed to the RCMP after a house search where police “located evidence confirming his involvement in national security related threats,” Demkiw said in the video Friday.
Police also allegedly found firearms and ammunition while searching the accused’s homes in Toronto, according to the TPS release.
“The evidence gathered expanded the scope of the investigation to include additional offences motivated by hate – particularly targeting women and members of the Jewish community,” the release reads.
Police say 79 charges have been laid in total. The three men are each facing 14 charges, including attempted kidnapping with a firearm, sexual assault with a weapon and hate crimes.
Khan is also facing additional charges, including firearm offences and probation breaches.
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Intelligence report warns of risk to Canada’s Jewish community
CBC News has obtained a report from the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre saying there’s a high risk — but no known, imminent threat — of an extremist attack against the Jewish community in Canada. Mark Carcasole has more.
The police report was “absolutely chilling to read,” said Noah Shack, CEO for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) in Toronto.
“Not only how heinous and horrific the motivation of these individuals was, but the means that they had at their disposal to act out that hate is very scary indeed,” Shack said at a news conference after the charges were announced.
Shack said he is glad to hear that police were successful in intercepting a potential threat to the Jewish community, but said the alleged antisemetic motivations of the accused illustrate the prevalence of hateful ideology in Canada.
“We need greater investment in measures to keep communities safe, and in the prioritization of resources to support intelligence and law enforcement focusing in on this problem of extremism,” Shack said.
The announcement of the arrests in Toronto comes days after a shooting at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Australia left 15 dead and at least 38 people in hospital. The father and son suspects may have been inspired by ISIS, some experts have said.
WATCH | Australia’s prime minister says ISIS ideology may be motivation of Bondi Beach shooting:
Bondi Beach shooting motivated by ISIS ideology: Australian PM
Australia’s prime minister said a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach appears to have been motivated by ISIS ideology. Meanwhile, mourners flocked to the site to lay flowers and grieve for the people killed, including a 10-year-old child.
“We need to be keenly aware that there are people pushing extremist agendas, promoting violence, promoting hate, and that is having deadly consequences around the world,” Shack said.
“If we don’t take it seriously in Canada, take measures to stop it, it will be too late,” he said.