Noah Shack: Iran’s terror-crime nexus is a growing threat to Canadians

People take part in a a protest against the Iranian government on April 21 in Montreal (John Kenney / MONTREAL GAZETTE)

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On July 18, 1994, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck into the Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds in the deadliest terror attack in Argentina’s history.

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In the devastating aftermath, Argentina’s Jewish community — the largest in South America — was left questioning its safety and future in their country. Deepening that sense of fear was the fact that those responsible remained unidentified for more than a decade. Prosecutors ultimately identified the suicide bomber as a 21-year-old Lebanese member of Hezbollah and concluded that the attack had been directed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Thirty-two years later, Iran’s Islamic regime continues to target people around the world — including here in Canada.

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In March, at the height of the conflict with Iran, our community was shaken when three Toronto synagogues were targeted with gunfire, which sent shockwaves across the country. These attacks came amid similar violent acts targeting Iranian activists and the U.S. consulate in Toronto.

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These incidents were followed by a series of developments pointing to a broader threat to Canadians and our national security posed by the Islamic Republic.

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An April top-secret report obtained by Global News revealed that Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre warned of the “realistic possibility” that Iran is directing criminal proxy actors to carry out attacks on Canada’s Jewish community.

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The following month, U.S. authorities arrested a member of an Islamic-regime-backed proxy in Turkey who allegedly directed criminals to target Jewish sites in Europe and who boasted about being behind the shootings at a Toronto synagogue and the U.S. consulate.

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Toronto police subsequently arrested several suspects allegedly hired to open fire on the U.S. consulate and synagogues in the greater Toronto area. Investigators said the gunmen who attacked the consulate were recruited through encrypted messaging apps and paid only after submitting video of the attacks. During the investigation, Toronto Police Constable Marc Pinizzotto was shot and killed, reminding us of the extreme risk police and their families take on to keep Canadians safe.

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Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw noted that the case reflected a “recurring and similar modus operandi” seen in other shootings targeting synagogues and Jewish schools: “criminals for hire.” Police continue to investigate who directed those attacks, yet the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, Ruby Sahota, rose in Parliament to say that the perpetrators who fired shots at Toronto synagogues were hired and paid by a “foreign entity.”

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While Canadians are left to put these puzzle pieces together for themselves, Canada’s allies have been unequivocal in identifying the link between anti-Jewish violence, domestic criminal elements and the Islamic Republic.