Canadian police arrest 3 men for attempted kidnappings targeting women and Jews

Armed suspects, 1 of whom is also charged with offenses linked to ISIS support, tried to force victims into vehicles; Canadian Jewish leader demands government step up protection

Canadian police on Friday announced the arrest of three men for attempted kidnappings targeting Jews and women, and terrorism.

The suspects were named as Waleed Khan, 26, Osman Azizov, 18, and Fahad Sadaat, 19. The suspects are all from Toronto.

The arrests stemmed from two incidents earlier this year.

In Toronto, in May, three men, one armed with a handgun and another with a knife, approached a woman and attempted to force her into a vehicle. The assailants fled when the attempted kidnapping was interrupted by a passing driver, police said in a statement.

In June, in the nearby city of Mississauga, three men with a handgun, a rifle, and a knife exited a vehicle and chased two women. They also fled the scene after a passing motorist intervened, police said.

The individuals were “targeting women and members of the Jewish community,” Toronto police chief Myron Demkiw said, without providing further details.

The suspects’ residences were searched, uncovering firearms, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines, as well as other evidence that indicated hate motivation.

“Investigators also uncovered links to terrorism,” a police statement said.

A court-imposed gag order has prevented the publication of further details, the statement said.

The suspects were charged with a total of 79 offenses, including conspiracy to commit kidnapping and hostage taking; weapons possession, sexual assault; motor vehicle theft; and forgery.

Khan was charged with additional terrorism related offenses, according to the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police, citing links to ISIS. Those charges included conspiracy to commit murder for a terrorist group.

The arrests came amid fear in Diaspora Jewish communities following the antisemitic massacre in Australia last week. The shooters in that terror attack had ISIS flags in their vehicle.

“As we saw in Sydney, we are one intelligence failure away from a devastating loss of life. A lack of urgency on the part of our leaders puts Canadians in danger,” said Noah Shack, the head of the Canadian umbrella group The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

“We urge authorities to take decisive measures to hold extremists accountable for radicalizing Canadians and setting the stage for mass violence right here in our country,” Shack said.

Last year, a father and son who entered Canada as asylum-seekers were arrested for plotting a mass attack on behalf of ISIS in Toronto.

Also last year, a Pakistani man who entered Toronto on a visa was arrested in the neighboring province of Quebec for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on Jews in New York City.

Antisemitism has surged in Canada in recent years, even before the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. Since then, hate crimes against the Jewish population have grown astronomically.