Dozen Toronto Shootings Linked to Iranian Funding

A CBC News investigation identifies 12 politically motivated gun-for-hire shootings in the Greater Toronto Area that appear to have been financed by the Iranian government. The attacks targeted synagogues, a school, businesses, and the U.S. Consulate. None of the shootings resulted in injuries.

The incidents share distinct operational characteristics. Suspects arrived in stolen cars during early morning hours. They emptied handguns into building entranceways while filming the acts on phones. Many of the shootings occurred within hours or days of the United States and Israel beginning to bomb Iran on February 28. That conflict also saw the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Police agencies have struggled to trace the money trail. Toronto Police, the RCMP, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service are investigating whether a foreign power instigated the attacks. Chief Superintendent Joe Matthews, who oversees the Toronto Police Service investigation, stated that the encrypted communication apps used in the gun-for-hire model create layers of separation between the client and the shooter. "We don't think there's a very direct connection between the financier and the perpetrator on the street," Matthews said.

Ballistic tests confirm a link between politically targeted sites and non-political targets. Shootings at synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses often occurred near addresses associated with waste management company Green For Life. Matthews noted that the same firearms were used in multiple shootings across both categories. This pattern indicates that the same hired guns carried out both types of attacks. Most accused suspects are young, ranging in age from 15 to their early 20s.

The attacks fit a global pattern of Iranian-sponsored violence. Last May, the FBI arrested Mohammad Baqer al-Saadi, a senior member of the Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya militia. An indictment in New York alleges he helped coordinate at least 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada. The Canadian attacks include the March 2026 shooting at the U.S. Consulate and an assault on an unnamed synagogue.

In June, Canada and 20 other nations issued a joint statement condemning Iran's lethal plotting in Europe, North America, and Australia. The statement described the relationship between Iranian security services and criminal groups as long-standing. Keir Giles, a security analyst at Chatham House, said the Iranian-linked attacks follow a blueprint Russia has used in Europe since the invasion of Ukraine. He noted that encrypted apps have made it easier and cheaper to recruit shooters for violence as a service.

Iran's Foreign Ministry did not respond to CBC News requests for comment on the alleged involvement. The Iranian government has dismissed past claims of sponsoring violence. Rabbi Daniel Korobkin of Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue, which was attacked in early March 2026, said the congregation refuses to be intimidated. "It's not going to deter us from being Jews. It's not going to deter us from coming to synagogue," Korobkin said. He added that the end result is the same whether the person who hates the community pulls the trigger or pays someone else to do it.