Toronto police say a "gun-for-hire" network is responsible for dozens of shootings, including attacks on the U.S. consulate and Jewish community sites. The network allegedly recruits young adults via encrypted apps and requires them to film attacks for payment. Several arrests have been made, and the investigation led to the death of Constable Marc Pinizzotto. U.S. authorities have linked the consulate attack to an alleged Iraqi terrorist with ties to Iran.
Gun-for-hire network shootings
- ▪Targets of the shootings included the U.S. consulate, synagogues, Jewish schools, and GFL Environmental waste management facilities
- ▪Police recovered a 9mm handgun linked to six shootings and a .45-calibre handgun linked to 21 shootings
- ▪Toronto police have linked dozens of shootings to a "multilayered" gun-for-hire network
- ▪Police believe firearms are being shared and passed between multiple shooters within the networks
Encrypted platform communications
- ▪To get paid, shooters are required to film their attacks and send the video as proof
- ▪The networks recruit and hire people through encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp
Young adult recruitment
- ▪Police believe there are multiple networks extending beyond Toronto, though the full scope is unknown
- ▪The gun-for-hire networks are recruiting young adults and teenagers to carry out the attacks
U.S. consulate shooting arrests
- ▪Police are searching for a second suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, in connection with the U.S. consulate shooting
- ▪Sheldon Tracey-Stewart, 18, was arrested and faces 11 charges for his alleged role in the U.S. consulate shooting
- ▪The U.S. consulate shooting in March 2026 did not result in any injuries
Iranian terrorism connection
- ▪The consulate shooting is linked to Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national arrested in Turkey in May 2026
- ▪U.S. prosecutors allege Al-Saadi has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and set up an online terrorist group called HAYI
- ▪U.S. court documents allege Al-Saadi claimed responsibility for the Toronto consulate shooting in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military actions
Constable Marc Pinizzotto death
- ▪Jayon Burgher, 18, was also arrested and charged in connection with a March 26 shooting where he allegedly worked with Nicholas Bennett
- ▪Nicholas Bennett, 19, is expected to be charged with first-degree murder in the death of Constable Pinizzotto
- ▪Toronto police Constable Marc Pinizzotto was killed on June 11, 2026, during a raid linked to the shooting investigations
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