Suspect charged in shooting that targeted Jewish school in Montreal

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Montreal police arrested a suspect Wednesday in connection with shots fired against a Jewish school in Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce last fall.

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Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed, 20, of Les Cèdres, appeared before a Quebec Court judge at the Montreal courthouse where he was charged with intentionally discharging a firearm, on Nov. 12, at a location knowing that a person might be inside. He is also charged with theft and receiving stolen vehicles, and committing mischief on Nov. 9.

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The Crown objected to Mahdi Ahmed’s release and he will remain detained for a hearing to be held on Thursday.

On Nov. 12 at around 5 a.m., gunshots were heard on Deacon Rd., near Van Horne Ave. A suspect was seen shooting in the direction of the Yeshiva Gedola of Montreal school, before quickly leaving the scene in a getaway vehicle. When they arrived, police saw the impacts of firearm projectiles on the school door and shell casings were found on the ground.

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It was the second shooting at the Deacon Rd. school in four days.

The investigation will continue regarding the possible participation of one or more other individuals, police said in a statement. Anyone with information is invited to contact 911 or their local station.

The Nov. 12 incident came four days after shots were fired at Yeshiva Gedola and the Talmud Torah Elementary School on St-Kevin Ave. overnight. Both are in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.

The week before, Molotov cocktails were thrown at a synagogue and Jewish community centre in the West Island.

Eta Yudin, Quebec vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, applauded the arrest Wednesday.

“This attack marked a significant change in the threats experienced by the Jewish community in Quebec since Oct. 7 and well before,” Yudin said in a statement released by the organization. “The stress and anxiety it caused the Jewish community since then cannot be underestimated, as we have had to endure intimidation after intimidation, as well as serial violence and antisemitism.”

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“While the escalation of violence and hatred against our community only continues, we are nonetheless pleased that further charges may be brought against the suspect. This senseless act, this act of terror, must lead to more serious charges, as we have often repeated since the Hamas attacks. This will send a strong message that targeting a community with such acts is unacceptable. We must remember that some politicians had rightly declared that shooting at schools was a form of terrorism.

“The safety of Jewish Quebecers is at stake, but so is the safety of all Montrealers.”

Paul Cherry of The Gazette contributed to this report.

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