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WARMINGTON: Arrest made in Jewish restaurant shooting small step in right direction

Mohamed Mahdi, 35, of Brampton, charged with four gun-related offences including discharge of a restricted firearm

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One down and at least 11 more arrests to go as police continue to probe suspected antisemitic or hate-motivated incidents across the city.

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You have to start somewhere. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw’s announcement Wednesday of the arrest of a man accused of shooting up a north Toronto restaurant is a step in the right direction to help stop the city from sliding into a no-go zone for Jews.

WARMINGTON: Arrest made in Jewish restaurant shooting small step in right direction Back to video

If there are too many more of these terror attacks on synagogues, Jewish schools or businesses, a no-go zone it will become.

“We don’t want this kind of violence in Toronto,” the chief said at a news conference, adding his investigators will “continue to hunt down whoever is responsible for this and other similar shootings in our city.”

Today, Chief @TPSMyronDemkiw announced the arrest of a 30-year-old man after shots were fired at a restaurant in the Avenue Rd & Brooke Ave area on April 3. Four firearms charges have been laid. This continues to be an active criminal investigation.NEWS RELEASE:… pic.twitter.com/GxLXZXdOBM— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) April 8, 2026

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Most of them remain unsolved.

In the Passover shooting incident at Old Avenue Restaurant on Avenue Rd. near Brooke Ave., police announced the arrest of Mohamed Mahdi, 35, of Brampton, who has been charged with four gun-related offences including “discharge of a restricted firearm.”

Gunman fired 14 times into restaurant

Sources said there were 14 gunshots fired into this family restaurant that cops believe was targeted because it’s Jewish owned. Fortunately, nobody was hurt with a direct shot or one that ricocheted. It was the most recent incident targeting Jewish sites and the U.S. Consulate.

These incidents seem to be organized and planned. But the Toronto Police Task Force Guardian is starting to catch up and is making arrests.

“Our new counterterrorism team, which includes our hate crime unit, also participated in this investigation,” said Demkiw. “Our response has been quick – our response has been integrated.”

People see the semi-automatic weapons outside of synagogues or at sporting events, but Demkiw said there are things they do not see that helped nab this suspect. There may be more to come.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to, first of all, hold those responsible accountable for these types of horrible acts and, secondly, that we will be there preventing and deterring any further acts to the greatest extent that we possibly can,” Demkiw said.

Terrorism, hate charges hard to prove

It’s not easy catching those responsible for these type of offences and even harder to charge people with terrorism or a hate crime. As intelligence services Chief Supt. Katherine Stephenson explained, they need to establish a motive. A common investigative theme in many of these cases is a belief that hired shooters are given an address and a promise of money and are not always aware of the religious or political implications.

Their job is to shoot a place up for cash and flee.

Maureen Leshem speaks on behalf of the restaurant owner who was hit with antisemitic gun violence at ⁦@TorontoPolice⁩ HQ after Chief Demkiw outlined the arrest of a Brampton man for the heinous shooting. pic.twitter.com/Lz8yUoRI5a— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) April 8, 2026

But if police run across who has ordered up these shooters, terrorism and hate charges may find their way into a future story.

“Canadians expect more than an arrest – we expect to be kept safe,” said Maureen Leshem, who spoke on behalf of the repeatedly victimized restaurant owner who deserves far better than to face these horrors. “The bail system must match the gravity of this act and ensure this individual remains behind bars. Anything less would be a public safety failure. The safety of the Jewish community – and every Canadian – must be non-negotiable.”

She’s right. The accused, who is still in custody, has not had these charges tested in court. But he’s going to court to have these charges tested — and that’s better than when nobody was facing justice.

He may be the first, but he might not be the last if Toronto Police have their way.

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