A man has been sentenced after being found guilty of opening fire on a Montreal Jewish school in 2023.
Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed, 24, carried out the attack at the Yeshiva Gadola in Côte-des-Neiges on November 12.
He pulled up at the school in a stolen car, allegedly driven by an accomplice, Joseph Pageau-Layto, at 5am and fired shots towards the school’s doors before driving away.
Ahmed was charged with intentionally discharging a gun, knowing that a person might be inside during the hearing at a Quebec court. He was also charged with theft and receiving stolen goods, as reported by the Montreal Gazette.
He was sentenced on Monday to 66 months in prison, but he will be freed in around two years thanks to time served.
The prison term will be followed by three years of probation during which Ahmed is not allowed to be within 200 metres of the school or associate with the Pageau-Layto.
Sentencing Ahmed, Judge Pierre Labelle said: “A person who commits this kind of an attack on schools is, in the eyes of this court, a coward. I have nothing else to say.
“Unfortunately, the imposition of a sentence, whatever it is, cannot erase the consequences.”
The judge noted that when the court gave Ahmed a chance to speak, he opted to stay silent.
Pageau-Layto was acquitted in the case, but he is due to plead guilty to a charge related to the stolen car in December.
The shooting left bullet holes and casings at the scene, which ultimately led police to Ahmed.
Prior to his sentencing, when prosecutors were pushing for his current jail time, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) called for a sentence reflecting the seriousness of the attack.
Eta Yudin, Quebec branch of the CIJA’s senior vice-president, said the organisation expects the sentence to reflect the severity of what it considers an anti-Jewish attack and send a message to those seeking to spread hatred and fear.
The prosecution, however, acknowledged that it cannot establish an anti-Jewish motive beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Montreal Jewish News. Ahmed was not charged with a terrorism offence, despite the shooting taking place at a Jewish school just weeks after October 7.
Yudin also said in a statement after he was originally charged: “This attack marked a significant change in the threats experienced by the Jewish community in Quebec since October 7 and well before.
“The stress and anxiety it caused the Jewish community since then cannot be underestimated, as we have had to endure intimidation after intimidation, as well as serial violence and antisemitism.
“While the escalation of violence and hatred against our community only continues, we are nonetheless pleased that further charges may be brought against the suspect. This senseless act, this act of terror, must lead to more serious charges, as we have often repeated since the Hamas attacks.”
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