Abderrazak Mehdi Ahmed, 23, of LaSalle, Quebec, pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally firing at a yeshivah in Montreal.
However, prosecutor Jean-Christophe Ardanos clarified after the hearing that a police investigation found no evidence that the November 2023 shooting was motivated by antisemitism.
“There was no evidence that we could present beyond a reasonable doubt that this was a hate crime,” Ardanos said, adding that the motive could not be raised in court.
During a hearing before Judge Pierre Labelle, the prosecutor said both sides are expected to present a joint recommendation for a 66-month prison sentence in October.
The agreement could have been presented immediately, but members of the Jewish community requested to participate in the sentencing process after learning last week that Ahmed intended to plead guilty.
The shooting took place on November 12, 2023, at approximately 5:00 a.m. According to the agreed statement of facts, the shooter fired four shots at the yeshivah’s front door before jumping into the passenger seat of a stolen black Acura as it drove away.
The vehicle was later located. Police found a black surgical mask and gloves inside, with Ahmed’s DNA on them. Two 9mm bullets were also recovered from the vehicle and matched the bullets and shell casings found at the shooting scene.
Cellphone records further confirmed that Ahmed’s phone traveled along the vehicle’s escape route.
Ahmed was arrested in May 2024. While in custody, he incriminated himself to an undercover agent placed in his cell.
A shooting charge against another suspect, 21-year-old Feijo Lito Joseph, was dropped. Joseph still faces charges related to driving the stolen vehicle and assisting the shooter’s escape.
The November 2023 shooting was the first of two incidents targeting Montreal yeshivos. In the first incident, gunfire was reported around 4:30 a.m., before the bochurim arrived. No one was injured.
Three days later, shots were fired into another Montreal yeshivah. Police received numerous calls at approximately 5:00 a.m. after multiple gunshots were heard.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
