Incident at Toronto Hebrew school being investigated as a hate crime: police

An incident at a Toronto Hebrew school that occurred less than an hour after police announced an increased presence in the city due to “global online threats" is being investigated as a hate crime.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, police said they received a report that three male suspects had attended the Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) in North York and were asked to leave by security.

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The suspects then made threats to the school, located near Sheppard Avenue West and Dufferin Street, before they left the property, police said.

Police said officers searched the area and located the suspects, all of whom have been arrested. It’s unclear what charges, if any, have been laid.

A hate crime investigation into the incident is now underway, police said.

In a letter issued to parents, obtained by CTV News Toronto, the school said the three suspects had approached students who were walking in the area and made threats.

“We’re in anxious period of time, our community is very concerned about security at this time,” Jonathan Levy, the head of TanenbaumCHAT, told CTV News Toronto. “We know that hate crimes can increase against the Jewish community at times like these so we’re being vigilant.”

No other details about the threat itself or the suspects involved were released by police.

In a news release, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said reports of an attempted stabbing related to Thursday’s incident circulating online are “inaccurate.”

“Today’s incident underscores the importance of heightened vigilance, preparedness, and rapid reporting,” the UJA wrote. “We are grateful that security staff at TanenbaumCHAT quickly called 911 as per protocols and police responded rapidly.”

The incident occurred less than an hour after Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw announced an enhanced police presence in coming days due to "global online threats" that have emerged following the Israel-Hamas war.

In his own post to X, Demkiw congratulated officers on the speed in which they apprehended the suspects.

"Excellent work by officers in the area to make this quick arrest today," he wrote.

Asked if TanenbaumCHAT will be open Friday following the Thursday scare, Levy said it will be.

“Our duty is to educate our students. We are ready to be open,” he said.