Hate Crime & Legal Update: Detention Order in Internet Hate Case, Synagogue Shooting Charges, and Montreal Synagogue Arson Case
- Rochelle Direnfeld and Mark Sandler
- 4 hours ago
- 7 min read
Week of June 8, 2026
Board imposes detention order on mentally ill accused placing the Jewish community at significant risk
On March 25, 2026, Harley Mitchell was found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCR) on criminal charges of Advocating Genocide, Wilful Promotion of Hatred, Wilful Promotion of Antisemitism, Uttering Threats and Failure to Comply with a Probation Order.
In 2024, the Hamilton Police Service received a request from Interpol to locate Mitchell. Over the course of the previous weeks, Mitchell had posted on X more than 4,000 social media posts containing antisemitic slurs, denying the Holocaust and repeated messages advocating violence against, including killing, Jews. In one he stated, “IM GOING TO KILL SO MANY ZIONIST RATS."
Mitchell’s posts repeatedly referred to a timeline for him to carry out his murderous plan in Norway, stating “Now watch in abject horror as I slaughter Zionists in about two weeks.” He booked a flight from Toronto to Oslo, Norway, conforming to his declared intention and timeline. Police intervened to arrest him.
In 2022, he had previously been convicted of uttering threats, mischief and assault, and was subject to a 10-year weapon prohibition.
In addition to these convictions, Mitchell was convicted of assault with a weapon and uttering a threat to cause death or bodily harm arising out of an incident in July 2024 during which Mitchell made a racist death threat, armed with a knife, to a member of the Black community.
Mitchell was committed to a secure psychiatric hospital pending a disposition to be made by the Ontario Review Board. That disposition may include a detention order, reviewed annually, if the accused poses a significant threat to the community.
ALCCA coordinated a joint community impact statement presented to the Board. In addition to ALCCA, B'nai Brith, CIJA, and CAEF collaborated in the statement's contents.
The Ontario Review Board outlined Mitchell's profound mental illness, including schizophrenia and delusional thinking. The Board detained Mitchell, unanimously concluding that he represents a significant threat to the safety of the public. It noted:
"The conduct behind the charges was extremely serious. He wilfully promoted hatred by calling for violence towards members of the Jewish community. Notably, he took steps to act on those delusions by purchasing a plane ticket to Oslo.
Mr. Mitchell’s diagnosis of schizophrenia and his delusions with respect to that community, among other delusions, have resulted in his vitriolic and hateful posts. His pathological anger is a serious and pervasive problem that remains. Mr. Mitchell’s risk for violent re-offending is considered high.
The impact of Mr. Mitchell’s barrage of over 4,000 posts has been immeasurable. The Jewish community, in particular, was subjected to racial slurs, incitement of violence, and derision, disdain and disrespect. As reflected in the Community Impact Statement, members have had to alter their day-to-day activities, forced to anticipate and plan for attacks emotionally, physically and financially.
Mr. Mitchell’s actions amplified the vitriol on social media, encouraging and affording others on the platform [the opportunity] to further disseminate hate speech. Should Mr. Mitchell not be subject to a disposition of the [Board], he is at high risk to re-offend violently, perpetrating significant psychological harm. As such, he is a significant threat to the community, particularly the Jewish community writ large."
The Board and the Crown Attorney were highly appreciative of the joint community impact statement filed. This now represents a best practice we have developed in informing courts and tribunals in a collaborative way of the serious impact of crimes targeting vulnerable communities. Each community impact statement is tailored to the specific crime with contributions obtained from our community (and others) at a national and local level.
A second youth arrested in synagogue shootings case
On May 7, 2026, we reported on the arrest of an 18-year-old male in relation to the shootings of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Synagogue in Thornhill and the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue in Toronto.
The allegations are that on Friday, March 6, 2026, just before midnight, sounds of gunshots were reported in the Clark Avenue West and York Hill Boulevard area of Thornhill. When York Regional Police officers arrived, they observed that the front doors of Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Synagogue had been damaged by gunfire. Two occupants, who were inside the synagogue at the time of the shooting, were not injured.
Just after midnight, on Saturday, March 7, 2026, Toronto Police Service officers responded to reports of gunshots in the area of Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue. When officers arrived at the Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue, they located damage to the synagogue’s front entrance consistent with gunfire. No one was inside at the time of the shooting and no injuries were reported.
The male, who cannot be identified because he was a young person at the time of the offences, was charged with the following:
Discharge Firearm into a Place x2
Mischief to Property Over $5,000 x2
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm in a Motor Vehicle
Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
Possession of a Prohibited Device
Careless Storage of a Prohibited Device
Occupy Motor Vehicle with a Prohibited Device
Following a lengthy joint forces investigation, a second suspect was identified in relation to both shootings.
On May 27, 2026, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the City of Cambridge, with the assistance of the Waterloo Regional Police Emergency Response Team, where a 17-year-old was arrested and charged with the following:
two counts Reckless Discharge of Firearm
two counts Conspiracy to Commit Indictable Offence
two counts Weapons Trafficking
The young person cannot be named pursuant to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The investigation is ongoing. One of the key questions remaining is whether the young persons allegedly involved in the shootings acted alone or at the direction of others.
Five arrests in Toronto antisemitic assault with a weapon case
On Thursday, April 30, 2026, and again on Thursday, May 7, 2026, Toronto Police were made aware of assaults that targeted visibly identifiable members of the Jewish community. In both cases, the suspects, who were in a vehicle, discharged an imitation firearm (described as an Orbeez-type gun) at the victims. They sustained minor injuries. The suspects fled in a blue Lexus SUV.
The first incident took place in the Bathurst and Lawrence area, while the second incident took place while the victims stood outside the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue in the Bathurst and Highway 401 area.
On Friday, May 8, 2026, Ruslan Novruzov, 18, of Vaughan, was arrested and charged with:
four counts of Assault with a Weapon
two counts of Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court at 10 Armoury Street on June 24, 2026.
On Friday, May 22, 2026, following further investigation by the Counter Terrorism Security Unit, four additional suspects were arrested and charged.
Luka Chokheli, 20, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with:
three counts of Assault with a Weapon
one count of Possession of a Weapon
He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court at 10 Armoury Street on June 24, 2026.
Alishahin Isayev, 23, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with:
three counts of Assault with a Weapon
one count of Possession of a Weapon
one count of Mischief Interfere with Property
He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court at 10 Armoury Street on June 24, 2026.
A male youth, 16, of Toronto and a female youth, 17, of Thornhill, neither of whom can be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, were arrested and charged with:
three counts of Assault with a Weapon
one count of Possession of a Weapon
They were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in court on August 12, 2026, at 10 a.m., at the Ontario Court of Justice, 10 Armoury Street, in courtroom 606Y.
Two additional suspects – one male and one female – have yet to be identified and remain at large.
Montreal synagogue arson
Steven Luu, 38, is facing six charges in the attempted arson of a Montreal-area synagogue last week.
Montreal Police (SPVM) were called shortly after midnight on Friday, June 5, 2026, to Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom on Sherbrooke Street West in Westmount, Quebec, after being alerted to someone trying to set fire to the building. Police allege Luu broke a window of the building with the intention of setting fire to it. The building suffered minor damage. The synagogue was not occupied at the time.
The charges include arson, possessing incendiary materials, using an explosive substance, and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Luu appeared in court on Monday, June 8, 2026, for a bail hearing but the court postponed the hearing because a psychological assessment requested by the prosecution had not been completed.
In February 2025, a Nazi Hakenkreuz was spray-painted on the side of the synagogue. No arrest was made in relation to that incident.
We will continue to follow and report on all of these cases in the days and weeks ahead.
About the Authors
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa), ALCCA’s Chair, is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice.
Rochelle Direnfeld is ALCCA’s Senior Criminal Counsel. She was called to the Ontario bar in 1990 and has served in the Ontario Public Service for over 32 years as an assistant crown attorney, deputy crown attorney, crown counsel, and finally as Deputy Director for Toronto Crown Attorneys in the Criminal Law Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Rochelle retired from public service at the end of 2023. During her career, she prosecuted a wide variety of Criminal Code cases in the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Rochelle is also the Chair of the Canadian Criminal Law Working Group, a national initiative bringing together leading criminal lawyers to strengthen the legal response to antisemitic hate crimes and support victims across Canada.
She has also been selected to join the Toronto Police Service Board’s Jewish Community Advisory Table, an initiative aimed at strengthening dialogue and collaboration between the Jewish community and the Toronto Police Service on issues of community safety and policing.