Canadian Jewish groups and politicians expressed outrage last week over the threats made by a Toronto man who was convicted for threatening to plant bombs in every local synagogue and kill as many Jews as he could.
Afghanistan-born Shawarma restaurant owner Waisuddin Akbari confided in car salesman Cameron Ahmad about the plot last March, according to the November Ontario Court of Justice ruling. Ahmad notified the police about the threats, under the belief that Akbari was serious about the intention to commit a violent attack.
The 41-year-old Akbari had come to 26-year-old Ahmad's dealership for an oil change and inquired about the possibility of upgrading to a new vehicle. Akbari allegedly expressed concerns about financing a new vehicle because he believed interest payments would be funneled to the Israeli government to finance a supposed genocide against Palestinians.
Akbari told the court that it was Ahmad that raised the issue, and went further by claiming that it was not just Canadian finance that flowed to Israel, but that Israel controlled all global finance — a claim that Ahmed denied.
Akbari said that he had only raised the concern as a means to end the advances of the salesman, which Justice Edward Prutsch found to be "utterly bizarre" to claim considering that Akbari had admitted to seeking to discuss a new car and there were better methods to end the conversation than veering into a conspiracy theory.
The two discussed the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, regarding which Ahmad told the court he was “on the side of the Palestinian state and the innocent civilians.”
He had intoned as much to Akbari, but Ahmad reportedly became uncomfortable as Akbari allegedly went on to say that in response to a supposed genocide against Palestinian people, the Israeli state and Jewish people should also be subjected to genocide.
Akbari allegedly shared his belief that the Israeli government controlled the world and was trying to exterminate non-Jews, enslave the world, and poison it. He further equated Israelis and Jews to roaches and insects who should be exterminated. Akbari claimed to the court that he could not pronounce the words "roaches" and "insects."
Ahmad was reportedly shocked and scared about how calm, clear, and concise he was when making his comments.
“Before I go, I want you to remember my name and remember my face because the next time you see it, I'll be on the news.” Akbari allegedly said before they parted ways. “I know when I'm going to die because I'm going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible.”
Akbari reportedly promised to film the attack
The suspect claimed to the court that he had been misheard and joked to Ahmad that he would blow up a casino because he couldn't afford a new vehicle due to a gambling debt.
Ahmad said there was no doubt what Akbari said and didn't think the customer was joking based on his serious tone, and he consulted with a colleague who was a former police officer and his older brother was serving in the Canadian military.
A day after the exchange, Akbari was arrested and charged for uttering threats.
Akbari claimed to the court that he didn't know what Judaism was, and while he knew Jews existed, he didn't have knowledge about the religion and its connection to Israel. He also claimed to be unfamiliar with the word “synagogue.”
Prutsch found Akbari’s testimony disjointed and vague, and the man was inconsistent, evasive, and confusing. The judge also found it unlikely that Ahmad, who was sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, would manufacture detailed allegations about a mass murder threat against a customer who had been a complete stranger.
After a Global News report on the ruling, which hadn't received much coverage, York Centre MP Ya'ara Saks said that she was deeply disturbed by the antisemitic threats.
"It is unacceptable that Jewish communities continue to live in fear because of such hateful rhetoric and actions," Saks said in a Wednesday statement. "In recent months, we have seen an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents, from shooting and vandalized synagogues to online threats and violent plots. These are not isolated incidents — they reflect a troubling increase in hate that we must confront together."
MP Kevin Vuong said on X/Twitter that it was important to stand with Jewish neighbors for the sake of all Canadians.
