“This is just me speaking but I believe there are sleeper cells all over the world.”
Shots were fired at the US Consulate in downtown Toronto early Tuesday, prompting a national security investigation and a strong response from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Police say two suspects got out of an SUV on University Avenue and fired at least one weapon toward the exterior of the consulate building. No injuries were reported, but authorities said the case is being treated as a “national security incident,” and terrorism has not been ruled out.
Ford addressed the incident hours later at Queen’s Park, calling the attack unacceptable.
“I have all the confidence in the world that they are going to catch these criminals, we are going to hold them accountable and they are going to face the full extent of the law,” Ford said on Tuesday.
Investigators have released a surveillance image of the suspected vehicle and are asking the public for help identifying those involved.
The shooting happened shortly after several other incidents involving gunfire at synagogues across the Greater Toronto Area over the past week. Police have not confirmed any connection between those events and the consulate shooting.
Ford nevertheless raised the possibility of broader threats during his remarks, though he acknowledged authorities have not confirmed such information.
“This is just me speaking but I believe there are sleeper cells all over the world. As we know, they are in the US, they are in Canada here and we have to weed these people out and hold them accountable,” he said. “Folks, we all grew up here. It is very peaceful, loving communities all across the province and for these people to be doing this, they need to be caught and they need to be thrown in jail for life.”
Chief Superintendent Chris Leather, Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations for the RCMP in Ontario, said investigators are coordinating with federal agencies.
“Suffice to say our CSIS counterparts and our INSETS (Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams) across the country are actively investigating matters such as this and we will continue to do so,” Leather said. “I think it is important that the public realizes that we’ve had a number of meetings and discussions already this morning with our federal counterparts and that does include CSIS both here in Toronto region and at national headquarters and they are tracking this incident very closely as well.”
Ford said the province will commit resources to the investigation and pledged support for the United States.
“We will not spare a penny to make sure we are holding these people accountable and we are going to go full steam at it,” he said.
