Shots were fired at the US consulate in Toronto for a second time this year, reports infohub.kz.
Toronto police said they are investigating the latest attack with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and international law enforcement partners. RCMP Supt Jonathan Ko called it "another troubling incident", while Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow described the attack as "brazen". The shooting occurred around 04:45 local time (09:45 BST). Officers recovered one shell casing at the scene and reported damage to the building's facade. At least two individuals were inside the consulate at the time, said Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo, but he noted the building is "very heavily fortified" and those inside likely did not hear the gunshot. He added that the investigation remains ongoing and police across the city have been asked to look out for potential suspects. "We will bring the people responsible to justice," Barredo said.
In a post on X, the US consulate in Toronto thanked the police for their response. Police have been stationed outside the consulate since March, when shots were fired outside the building in what police at the time called a "national security incident". No one was injured in that attack. In June, police carried out raids related to the shooting. One police officer, 43-year-old Const Marc Pinizzotto, was killed during the operation. Police later arrested several suspects aged 18 and 19 for allegedly carrying out a string of shootings, including the March attack, as part of a larger gun-for-hire network.
Two Jewish-owned bakeries in the city were also targeted, at least one by gunfire, over the weekend. Police said on Monday there was currently nothing to link the two incidents, but they did not rule out a connection. In May, US officials arrested an Iraqi national, 32-year-old Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, for allegedly planning more than a dozen attacks in North America and Europe targeting Jewish institutions and US interests, including the one at the US consulate in Toronto.
Toronto police have not said if al-Saadi is linked to their investigation, and they have not specified a motive for this latest consulate shooting.