Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt at Shara Zedek Synagogue, Vancouver, British Columbia, in May. Oct. 31, 2024. The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver said a “molotov device” was thrown at the synagogue’s doors. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns.
An extremist attack targeting Canada’s Jewish community is a “realistic possibility,” according to intelligence documents obtained by Global News that warn of “escalating anti-Semitic activity.”
The reports, released nearly a year after the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked an Israeli military response in Gaza and Lebanon, show that national security analysts fear anti-Jewish sentiment could lead to terrorism.
The government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center wrote in a June 24 memo that it was watching with concern “the rising tide of anti-Semitism and violent rhetoric related to the conflict in Gaza.”
“A lone attack — inspired by a range of ideological or religious extremism such as neo-Nazism or ISIS — that targets Jewish interests in Canada is a realistic possibility,” a July 10 memo said.
“An attack on a low-security environment would likely involve unsophisticated weapons and planning,” the document, a memo prepared for the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, added.
“We continue to observe incidents of criminal intimidation, harassment and hate speech targeting Jewish communities in Canada, such as the school shootings in Toronto and Montreal, and the arson incident in Vancouver.”
“They are indicators of rising anti-Semitic activity.”
The declassified material on the implications of the Hamas-Israel conflict on Canadian national security was disclosed to Global News under the Access to Information Act.
They were prepared in the months before Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut, raising concerns about revenge attacks around the world.
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs said police increased their presence at Jewish institutions across Canada after Nasrallah’s killing, which came just before the October 7 anniversary.
“There is growing concern, especially given the rhetoric coming from a variety of sources in the region, such as Iran, Hezbollah and others who have sworn retaliation and revenge,” said Justice and Accountability Committee Chairman Shimon Kofler-Fogel.
“From the perspective of the Jewish community, I think this provides some reassurance that local law enforcement is on top of things. “They are aware of the issues and are responding appropriately.”
The intelligence reports, marked classified and by Canadian eyes only, downplayed the protests and university camps as national security threats, but said an attack by an extremist individual was the most likely scenario.
The documents come as ISIS has been trying to reassert itself since its defeat in Syria in 2019, and to take advantage of the conflict in the Middle East to incite its followers to carry out attacks against Jews.
“ISIS and Al-Qaeda propaganda continue to refer to conflict,” ITAC wrote in its threat assessment report.
RCMP seize a vehicle after arresting Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a suspected ISIS plotter, in Ormstown, Que., on September 4, 2024. Pierre-Paul Poulin/Le Journal de Montreal/QMI Agency.
The RCMP have foiled two alleged ISIS-linked terrorist plotters since July. A third operation targeting the Jewish community in Ottawa was stopped last December. Two minors were arrested.
The sources said that one of the suspects in Ottawa was in contact with ISIS. Although the two were radicalized before October 7, the Hamas attack may have “accelerated” their plot, ITAC wrote.
In late July, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also arrested a father and son of Egyptian descent, Ahmed and Mustafa Al-Didi, who were allegedly about to carry out an attack on behalf of ISIS in Toronto using bladed weapons.
A minor was arrested in Toronto in August on ISIS-related charges.
The Pakistani foreign student, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, was arrested in Quebec on September 4, where he was allegedly on his way to New York to carry out a mass shooting for ISIS at a Jewish centre.
Meanwhile, gunmen opened fire on Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto, and a firebomb was thrown at a Vancouver synagogue. Jewish schools also faced bomb threats.
Such tactics are “likely to continue,” according to an intelligence brief. “Shooting up empty schools can be viewed as a low-risk tactic to effectively spread fear. Similar shooting incidents are likely to occur in the near term.”
“As the conflict in Gaza continues, there have been repeated reports of anti-Semitic activities in Canada, including indicators of escalation toward potential violence,” ITAC wrote.
Canadian Jewish groups have warned of the dangers of rising anti-Semitism and called on the government to take action.
On Tuesday, CIJA, B’nai Brith Canada and the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a joint statement calling for legislation criminalizing the glorification of terrorism.
The proposed law would ban the public display of flags and other symbols of terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
“While several European countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have enacted legislation prohibiting the public display of terrorist symbols, Canada has not yet taken such a step,” the letter addressed to Attorney General Arif Virani said.
“The absence of such laws allows individuals to promote and celebrate terrorist ideologies without facing legal repercussions. This censorship erodes public order and serves to embolden those who seek to radicalize others and perpetuate hatred in our communities.
Radicalization and normalization of extremist ideology should be a priority for Parliament, according to CIJA, which also wants “bubble legislation” that keeps protesters away from Jewish institutions, and a ban on the Samidoun group.
“I’m concerned about failing to connect the dots,” Vogel said in an interview. “Solo actors still get their motivation from somewhere.”
The main problem, he said, is the “toxic power” of messages that appear online, at protests, and sometimes in religious discourse that normalize extremist language.
“All of this contributes to an individual’s tendency to act on whatever frustrations or other biases they have,” he said.
Jews represent only 1% of Canada’s population, but they are the religious minority most targeted for hate crimes, accounting for one in five incidents.
Numbers have risen by 71 percent since October 7, which sparked the current regional conflict. Police are concerned about the attacks, which were timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Hamas attack.
Citing the potential for violence linked to events abroad and increased anti-Semitism, the Toronto Police Service On Wednesday, it said it would bolster its presence across the city.
Authorities are also evaluating events such as the annual March for Israel, organized by the United Jewish Appeal, which ITAC has deemed “an attractive target for violent extremists” because of its “overtly pro-Israel Jewish messages.”
The threat assessment said an attack on June 9 was unlikely, but if it occurred it would be “unsophisticated” and would involve “readily available weapons” such as knives, blunt instruments, vehicles or small arms.
toronto police Six arrested In this event, one for anti-Semitic messages calling for violence, two for incitement to hatred and one for assault. But there were no major attacks and a record crowd attended.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
