Police in Toronto say two suspects are in custody in connection with a bullet fired at the US consulate in the city last week.
Police say the two accused face more than a dozen criminal offenses each, including failure to comply with the conditions of their court-ordered release, as they were out on probation. One of the suspects is 15-years old and cannot be named under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act. The second is 19-year old Xen-Ul-Abdeen Syed.
Video of the incident released by police show at least two muzzle flashes as the gun was fired from a moving vehicle. Investigators believe more than one shot may have been discharged. Police have not yet to recover the firearm.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the case reflects a broader pattern he’s mentioned before.
"We also believe that the modus operandi in this investigation is consistent with what we saw in the previous US consulate shooting, and that is criminals for hire," he said. "We believe that these two individuals were offered payment to carry out this attack through encrypted messaging apps. There has been significant public interest and speculation about who is behind these crimes. That remains a key focus of our investigation."
Police would not say how much the suspects were getting paid to carry out the shooting. Chief Superintendent of Detective Operations Joe Matthews said police know that shootings, homicides, and arsons are all being ordered through online apps, offering varying compensations.
He said police believe there are dozens of individuals committing crimes in the city for this criminal network.
