19-year-old Canadian resident threatened to shoot Jews in a synagogue

Police in the Canadian province of Ontario arrested 19-year-old Alexander Parfitt on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on a synagogue. The arrest came a day after a shooting at the Bnei Yaakov synagogue in Belleville, where a police officer was seriously wounded. Parfitt has been charged with making hate-motivated threats.

Police in the Durham region of the Canadian province of Ontario arrested a 19-year-old local resident on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on a synagogue. The arrest was carried out just a day after the attack on the Bnei Yaakov synagogue in Belleville, 115 km from Toronto, where a police officer was seriously wounded. According to law enforcement, a report was received that a participant in an online forum threatened to carry out a shooting at a synagogue in the Durham region. As a result of the investigation, 19-year-old Alexander Parfitt from Whitby was arrested. He has been charged with one count of making hate-motivated threats. He remains in custody pending a bail hearing. Police have increased patrols around synagogues and Jewish gathering places during the Jewish holidays. Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy expressed deep concern and stated that there is no place for anti-Semitism in Whitby. Earlier, on the evening of September 20, an unknown person opened fire on the Bnei Yaakov synagogue during Yom Kippur prayers. A police officer on duty was seriously wounded in a shootout with the 29-year-old attacker. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack.