Three Toronto men arrested for hate-motivated attacks, ISIS-related terrorism

Police announced on Friday that three men from Toronto have been charged with hate-motivated crimes against women and the Jewish community. The seizure of weapons, including an AR-style rifle, and two failed kidnapping attempts in May and June led to the arrests. One of the suspects was charged separately with terrorism offenses that include conspiracy to commit murder for the Islamic State, and providing cryptocurrency to the group.
As a result of a major criminal investigation known as Project Neapolitan, 26-year-old Waleed Khan, 18-year-old Fahad Sadaat, and 18-year-old Azizov face nearly 80 charges. A parallel investigation by the RCMP’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team resulted in seven terrorism charges against Khan, who is accused of conspiring with an “Allah Kareem.”
He was further charged with operating a pro-ISIS Telegram account. The charges accuse him of making himself available to commit terrorism “in response to instructions” from a group.All three suspects are scheduled to appear in court in Toronto on Jan. 29.
The announcement comes days after two pro-Islamic State terrorists killed 15 people and injured dozens more at Hanukkah celebrations at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued a statement following the arrests, stating, “The details of the investigation indicate a grave threat, involving the Islamic State and attempts to target women and Jewish Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area.” “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.”
“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.” Canada’s threat assessment agency stated that there were no known plots of a similar nature in this country following the attack in Australia. However, the intelligence brief also stated that an attack on Jewish holiday events in Canada remained a “realistic possibility.” Canadian Jewish organizations have called for government action to address the antisemitism that has spiked since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
According to Toronto police, its investigation began after three armed men tried to force a woman into a vehicle on May 31 but were interrupted by a passing motorist.
On June 24, a similar incident occurred when three armed men wearing balaclavas exited a vehicle and tried to lure two women into a light-coloured Audi SUV.
They chased the women but fled when a passerby came to the scene. All three women were sexually assaulted, according to the charges filed in Ontario court.Peel police connected the incidents and worked with Toronto police to identify the suspects. Searches of their residences turned up multiple firearms and high-capacity magazines, police said.