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Mass Casualty Incidents

Police make arrest after gunfire damaged two Toronto-area synagogues

No injuries were reported in the March 6 shootings at synagogues in Vaughan and North York, and the investigation remains open.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 11, 2026, 10:24 p.m. ET
Two synagogues in the Toronto area were struck by gunfire overnight on March 6, and no one was injured, according to Global News. York Regional Police said officers received reports of gunshots just before midnight on March 6 and later found damage to the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue in Vaughan. A short time later, after midnight, Toronto police said they responded to gunshots at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in North York. Global News reported no injuries. On Monday, said , of Barrie, Ont., had been taken into custody. The investigation is developing and police have not said what lay behind the shootings. Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said that "what we are dealing with in this case and in other unrelated incidents, including shootings at synagogues in Jewish schools, is a recurring and similar modus operandi: that is criminals for hire." He said that "through encrypted messaging apps, young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets. And in order to get paid, they're required to film their attacks." He added: "Who is paying for this? This is what we are trying to determine, including by working with our RCMP and FBI colleagues." That is the police's stated line of inquiry, not a finding. York Regional Police, the Toronto Police Service, the RCMP and the FBI are listed among the agencies involved in the response.

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  1. Version 112 Aug 2026, 02:24current

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