By Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban
The SPVM arrested Mahdi Ahmed Abdirazak last week as a suspect in connection with the shots fired at the Yeshivah Gedola on November 12, 2023. The man, aged 20, lives in Les Cedres and was arrested in LaSalle by the West Criminal Investigation Division (Project Group). He appeared in court and was arraigned on charges of discharging a firearm, theft and receiving stolen vehicles.
On November 12 around 5 a.m., gunshots were heard on Deacon Road, near the intersection with Van Horne Avenue. A suspect is seen on video shooting in the direction of the Yeshivah located on Deacon Road, before quickly leaving the scene in a getaway vehicle. When they arrived, the police officers saw bullet holes on the school door and shell casings were found on the ground. It was the second shooting at the Deacon Rd. school in four days. The week before, Molotov cocktails were thrown at a synagogue and Jewish community centre in the West Island.
The investigation will continue regarding the possible participation of one or more other individuals in the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or their local station. You can also call anonymously to Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or via the reporting form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website.
Eta Yudin, Quebec vice-president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, applauded the arrest and stated, “This attack marked a significant change in the threats experienced by the Jewish community in Quebec since Oct. 7 and well before. The stress and anxiety it caused the Jewish community since then cannot be underestimated, as we have had to endure intimidation after intimidation, as well as serial violence and antisemitism.”
“While the escalation of violence and hatred against our community only continues, we are nonetheless pleased that further charges may be brought against the suspect. This senseless act, this act of terror, must lead to more serious charges, as we have often repeated since the Hamas attacks. This will send a strong message that targeting a community with such acts is unacceptable. We must remember that some politicians had rightly declared that shooting at schools was a form of terrorism. The safety of Jewish Quebecers is at stake, but so is the safety of all Montrealers.” n