Toronto police have arrested a 29-year-old man accused of setting fire to Israeli flags displayed outside a Christian church on October 7, the third anniversary of the Hamas massacre in Israel.
In a statement released Tuesday, police said the suspect faces charges of arson, mischief under $5,000, mischief interfering with the lawful enjoyment of property, and disobeying a lawful court order.
According to investigators, the incident occurred at approximately 1:02 a.m. on October 7 near Sunrise Avenue and O'Connor Drive, where the suspect allegedly removed Israeli flags displayed outside the Word of Faith International Christian Centre and set them on fire.
Police identified the suspect Saturday at approximately 4:06 p.m. during a demonstration near the intersection of Dundas Street East and Yonge Street.
A Toronto Police Service spokesperson previously confirmed to the National Post that the department's Hate Crime Unit was investigating the incident.
The burning of the flags coincided with the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto condemned the incident in a joint statement issued on the day of the attack, describing it as “disturbing."
“Faith International Christian Centre has stood with the Jewish community and with Israel. To see that solidarity answered with fire is a disturbing reminder that hatred does not stop with Jews. Increasingly, those who stand beside us are being targeted too," the organizations stated.
CIJA and UJA expressed that they were “deeply grateful" for the church's “friendship and solidarity" and urged elected officials at all levels of government to condemn the incident and “confront the extremism that is making intimidation and violence increasingly commonplace."
“When simply standing with the Jewish community carries a cost - when allies are intimidated, threatened, or attacked because they refuse to turn away - this is no longer only a Jewish problem," the statement continued. “It is a threat to the kind of country we all want Canada to be."
Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford also denounced the incident, describing it on X as “an act of intimidation."
“I’m thinking today of Jewish families across Toronto who have spent 3 years watching this kind of thing move closer to their homes, their schools and their synagogues, and who are tired of being told it’s being taken seriously while it keeps happening," Bradford wrote.
The incident comes amid continuing concerns about antisemitic violence and intimidation in Toronto and surrounding communities.
According to Toronto Police Service statistics, the city recorded 231 hate crimes in 2025, a 50% decline compared with the previous year.
Nevertheless, Jewish residents remained disproportionately targeted in religiously motivated incidents. Of the 99 hate crimes classified as religiously motivated, 82% were directed against Jews, who account for less than 3% of Toronto's population.
Recent incidents targeting Jewish institutions and businesses have included shootings at synagogues, an arson attack against a Jewish-owned grocery store, and the removal of mezuzahs from apartment entrances.
In March, gunfire struck Temple Emanu-El in North York while worshippers were gathered for Purim celebrations. No injuries were reported, although the synagogue sustained property damage.
Within days, two additional synagogues, Beth Avraham Yoseph in Vaughan and Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto, were targeted in separate shootings that took place only hours apart.
In April, a man allegedly attempted to force his way into an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill and assaulted an individual before fleeing.
The following day, a Toronto Judaica store was attacked when someone threw a rock through its window. It was the third reported attack against the business.
In July, two Toronto locations of a Jewish-owned bakery were attacked within approximately one hour of each other.