Extremist attack on Jewish community ‘realistic possibility in Canada'

An extremist attack targeting Canada’s Jewish community is a “realistic possibility,” according to intelligence documents obtained by Global News that warn of “escalating antisemitic activity.”

Released almost a year after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered an Israeli military response in Gaza and Lebanon, the reports show that national security analysts fear anti-Jewish sentiment could lead to terrorism.

The government’s Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre wrote in a June 24 memo that it was monitoring “the rising tide of antisemitism and violent rhetoric associated with the conflict in Gaza with concern.”

“An attack on a low-security setting would likely involve unsophisticated weapons and planning,” added the document, speaking notes prepared for the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

“We continue to observe incidents of criminal intimidation, harassment and hate speech targeting Jewish communities in Canada, such as shootings at schools in Toronto and Montreal, and the arson event in Vancouver.”

“They are indicators of escalating antisemitic activity.”