Third Toronto soldier charged in kidnapping investigation that turned up Armed Forces ammunition

A third Toronto soldier is facing charges in a July kidnapping where police discovered the alleged kidnappers had six different types of Canadian Armed Forces ammunition in their possession.

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Jack David Miley of Etobicoke is a 24-year-old master bombardier in the 7th Toronto Regiment, a reserve artillery unit based at Moss Park Armoury in Toronto.

He is one of seven people facing charges for the July 25 kidnapping of Seyedkasra Hosseini “to hold him for ransom,” according to court documents. He is also accused of using a handgun during the kidnapping and pointing it at Hosseini.

“We can confirm that Jack Miley is a current member of the 7th Toronto Regiment,” the Defence Department’s Kened Sadiku said Friday in a written statement.

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Miley, whose rank is equivalent to master corporal, has been a reservist since enrolling in the Canadian Army in August 2018, Sadiku said, noting he deployed last year on Operation Reassurance, the ongoing NATO mission in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Baltics in response to Russian aggression.

After his arrest on Sept. 24, Miley was removed from duty and his access to the Forces’ equipment, facilities and bases was restricted, Sadiku said.

He remains in the CAF pending the outcome of an administrative review, Sadiku said.

Two other soldiers from the same regiment, Sachintha Fernando of North York and James Moreau of Markham, are also facing multiple charges in the kidnapping case. They have also been removed from their military duties and blocked from using their base or army equipment since they were arrested in August.

Fernando, 22, and Moreau, 29, have both been charged with kidnapping for ransom, forcible confinement and the use of a firearm during the commission of an indictable offence, according to a Toronto police spokesperson.

Fernando is also charged with multiple other counts of firearms-related offences, including unauthorized possession of a prohibited device, possession of property obtained by crime and careless storage of ammunition.

Fernando has been charged with storing five types of ammunition in a careless manner on Aug. 11, the day he was arrested. Those include .223 caliber ammunition, .223 caliber blanks, 9 mm bullets, .270 caliber ammunition and 12-gauge shotgun shells. All were property of the Canadian Armed Forces, according to court documents.

Miley was also in possession of one round of the military’s 25mm Bushmaster ammunition when he was arrested last month, according to court documents.

Police charged Fernando with possessing a nine millimetre handgun and a Churchill 12-gauge shotgun without a licence for either, as well as prohibited over-capacity magazines.

Police also seized a Beretta handgun, ammunition for the weapon, and at least one firearm silencer during their investigation.

All three soldiers were military instructors within the Greater Toronto Area, one source said Friday.

Another source who has served with the three soldiers said learning of the charges has hurt morale within the regiment.

“The Canadian Armed Forces is supposed to be a respectable organization, many have fought and died for the same colours we wear today,” said the source.

“The unit needs a major rework; there’s too much incompetence allowing these fraudulent and troublesome individuals to flourish.”

Four other men who are not in the military — Saiefeddine Aden, Raheem Bishop-Jackson, Christian Darbandi and Suhaib Alekozai — have also been charged with conspiring to kidnap Hosseini.

The commanding officer of the 7th Toronto Regiment sent a note to his subordinates recently telling them not to talk to reporters about the case.

“A reminder that this is an active investigation by TPS (primarily), the MPs, and we have our own related admin investigation,” Lt.-Col. Curtis Roach said in his email obtained by the National Post

“As such, we should not be providing comment or opinion on this incident.”

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