toronto man facing terror charge over alleged ties to hamas; robbery suspect cuffed
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a toronto man is facing a terror charge for allegedly acting “for the benefit of, and in association with, hamas,” police said wednesday.
toronto police said the accused attended pro-palestinian demonstrations in the bay st. and front st. w. area on may 25 and sept. 7, 2024, where he allegedly “used amplification devices to make public statements that advocated for the detestation and harm against members of the israeli and jewish communities.”
police said a search warrant was executed on march 7, 2025, at a toronto residence, where investigators seized multiple electronic devices.
police said a joint investigation with the rcmp’s integrated national security enforcement team (inset) led investigators to evidence supporting the allegation that the accused’s actions were in support of hamas.
police said the attorney general of ontario and the federal government approved the charges on monday.
ahmad hassan hajahmad, 33, was arrested tuesday and charged with participating in or contributing to activities of a terrorist group, police said.
he appeared before the ontario court of justice on tuesday morning.
hajahmad’s lawyer, mohamed el rashidy, issued a statement in response to the charge, stating:
“mr. hajahmad is presumed innocent and has no connection to hamas or any other foreign group. he faces a single charge arising from speaking at public demonstrations. no violence, no weapon, no one harmed. speaking out at a protest about the killing of civilians is protected expression, not terrorism. the police told the media he advocated hatred and harm but he is not charged with that. we’ll be looking closely at how and why this case came to be, and we’re confident it won’t hold up when measured against the law.”
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anyone with information is asked to contact toronto police at 416-808-3505, crime stoppers anonymously at 416-222-tips (8477), or at 222tips.com.
man arrested in canada day retail robbery
a toronto man has been charged after allegedly stealing cash from a store in the city’s waterfront area on canada day.
toronto police said officers were called to a store in the fort york blvd. and bathurst st. area on july 1 at about 10:40 p.m. after a man entered a store and demanded money from the victim while holding a rock in his hand.
police said the victim complied with the suspect’s demand, and the suspect took a quantity of cash before fleeing the area.
police said officers with the hold up squad were able to identify the suspect, and executed a search warrant on tuesday where they made the arrest.
police also said officers seized clothing allegedly worn during the robbery in a search.
ronald leon aaron arrindell, 41, of toronto, has been charged with robbery with an offensive weapon, uttering threats, and theft under $5,000.
anyone with information is asked to contact toronto police at 416-808-7350, or crime stoppers anonymously at 416-222-tips (8477), or at 222tips.com.
toronto man accused of retail store holdup
a 35-year-old toronto man has been charged with robbery after a holdup at a retail store last week in north york.
toronto police said they responded to a robbery call on july 14 just before noon in the islington ave.-millwick dr. area south of hwy. 407.
they said a man entered a store while wearing a mask, approached a victim who was behind a counter and demanded cash before producing a blunt object concealed by a towel and pointing it at the victim’s shoulder.
police said the victim opened the register and the suspect took cash before fleeing in a truck that was parked outside.
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the holdup squad later identified a suspect and stopped him on tuesday while he was driving his vehicle. they executed a search warrant and recovered clothing that was allegedly worn during the robbery.
christophe thompson was charged with robbery with an offensive weapon and disguise with intent.
anyone with further information can contact police or crime stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477 or 222tips.com..
— with files from jordan ercit
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