A March 10 shooting outside the U.S. Consulate in Toronto is being investigated as part of a “criminals for hire” network, police say—where young people are allegedly paid to carry out attacks and film them for payment. Authorities are also linking two recover
The night air around the U.S. Consulate in Toronto turned violent on March 10, around 4:30 AM, when two men pulled up in a white Honda, opened fire with a handgun, and then fled.
Toronto police say the attack is believed to be tied to a broader operation—one they describe as “criminals for hire. ” recruiting young adults through encrypted messaging apps and requiring them to film their attacks in order to get paid. The shooting did not injure anyone at the consulate. but the department framed it as part of a pattern of violence unfolding across the city.
At a press conference on June 16. Chief Myron Demkiw said investigators have been looking at multiple shootings in Toronto and have already recovered two firearms. both traced back to the United States. One of the handguns has been linked to at least 21 shootings. including the consulate incident. which authorities have called a “national security incident.” The other handgun has been linked to at least six shootings. police said.
Demkiw described the alleged recruitment and execution method as recurring—“a recurring and similar modus operandi. ” he said. involving young people being “hired to carry out attacks against various targets.” He added that the hiring is conducted through encrypted messaging apps. and that “In order to get paid. they’re required to film their attacks.”.
Investigators now say the consulate shooting fits into a wider network in which the people carrying out the violence may be younger than the coordinators. Superintendent Joe Matthews said the pattern the investigation is uncovering suggests “multiple networks multi-layered” and that “the actual actors committing the violence are younger in age.”.
The threat is not hypothetical. Toronto police said Toronto Constable Marc Pinizzotto was killed on duty in a June 11 shooting. Police are seeking a 19-year-old suspect in Pinizzotto’s death, who will be charged with first degree murder, according to police.
The person linked to the March consulate shooting is also 19 and has not yet been arrested.
Toronto police said investigators believe the encrypted apps used in the scheme include Whatsapp, Signal and Telegram. They said they are working in conjunction with the FBI to identify who is coordinating the attacks.
The U.S. has also weighed into the picture. In a May court filing, the U.S. linked the consulate shooting to Mohammad Baqer Saad Al-Saadi. an Iraqi national accused of running a terrorist network behind multiple plots in the United States. Canada and Europe. That filing said Al-Saadi discussed the consulate shooting in a recorded phone call.
Demkiw said investigators are still working to determine the individuals responsible for orchestrating the violence. “We are still working actively to investigate who is responsible for orchestrating these criminal acts,” he said.
He also pointed to what police believe is the intent behind the recruitment. “It is clear that some of the people hiring these criminals want to create a sense of fear in our communities, including in the Jewish community,” Demkiw said.
Taken together. the timeline—from March 10’s attack outside the consulate to subsequent lethal violence on June 11 and the broader investigation outlined on June 16—has pushed the case beyond a single incident. Police are now pursuing a network they say turns encrypted communication. young recruits. and filmed attacks into a business model for terror and fear.
Toronto police U.S. Consulate March 10 shooting encrypted messaging apps criminals for hire Whatsapp Signal Telegram FBI national security incident Chief Myron Demkiw Superintendent Joe Matthews Marc Pinizzotto first degree murder