Toronto man arrested after allegedly shooting at Orthodox Jews outside synagogue

JTA – Police in Toronto have arrested a man they say shot at “visibly identifiable members of the Jewish community” on two occasions a week apart. 

Ruslan Novruzov, 18, is charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in connection with the shootings, which took place on 30 April and 7 May. 

In both incidents, people suffered minor injuries, according to the Toronto police. The shooting on Thursday targeted three people standing outside Congregation Chasidei Bobov, an Orthodox synagogue. 

Following the shootings, the Toronto police tracked a blue Lexus to a residence in a suburb about 24km north, where they said they searched both a home and a car and seized evidence including two “gel-blaster imitation firearms”. 

The shootings and arrest add to a string of recent incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions in the Toronto area. A different 18-year-old man was charged last week in connection with two synagogue shootings on 6 March, but other incidents remain unsolved. No major injuries or damage have been reported, but the attacks have swelled anxiety within the city’s Jewish communities. 

“We recognise that Jewish residents have been living with a heightened sense of fear due to repeated incidents targeting their community, and this only adds to that, which is unacceptable,” Acting Deputy Police Chief Joe Matthews said in a statement following Novruzov’s arrest. “While the weapons used were imitation firearms, the impacts are very real. These are criminal acts that we allege were meant to intimidate and cause fear.” 

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Canada’s main Jewish advocacy group, expressed gratitude to the police for acting quickly. 

“These incidents must continue to be treated with the seriousness they deserve, and those responsible must be held fully accountable,” it said on X. ”It’s long past time for governments and authorities to confront the serious threats driving violent attacks before we face a tragic loss of life.”