Gunman fires on Canadian police outside synagogue on Yom Kippur

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TORONTO, Canada - An armed man who approached a synagogue in a small Canadian community as Jews began Yom Kippur prayers was in hospital Monday after a gunfight with police stationed outside to protect worshippers.

Canadian police did not say that the synagogue in Belleville, Ontario -- 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Toronto -- was the target of the Sunday evening violence.

But Kristy Dennette, a spokesperson for Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, which probes shootings involving police, told reporters Monday that "common sense" would suggest the gunman wanted to fire on the synagogue.

Sunday evening marked the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

As services were getting set to begin at the Sons of Jacob congregation in Belleville, home to roughly 50,000 people, a 29-year-old man armed with a shotgun arrived near the building.

"He opened fire on a Belleville police officer who was stationed outside the synagogue," Dennette said.

Multiple officers returned shots, with dozens of rounds ultimately fired, she said.

The gunman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, while an officer is in "critical but stable condition," Dennette added.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said his "thoughts are with the injured officer and his family, and the entire Jewish community," adding that Belleville had been "shaken" by the violence.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was "disgusted by the shooting."

"My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Belleville and across Ontario, who have every right to gather and worship safely and without fear," said the leader of Canada's most populous province.

Like many Western countries, Canada has seen a rise in reported incidents of antisemitism over the last three years amid criticism of Israel's response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

Police provided no information about the Belleville gunman's motive or any possible ties to extremist ideology.

The president of the congregation, Norman Weddum, told public broadcaster CBC that Belleville's Jewish community was enduring a "rough" day and could not gather for Yom Kippur on Monday because the synagogue was under lockdown.

Asked whether he believed Jews were the target, Weddum said: "He was coming down the street with some type of firearm and he was headed towards a synagogue where Jewish people were having services."

"So, I think his intentions were pretty clear." — Agence France-Presse