Is Iran Behind a Series of Shootings in Toronto?

A string of shootings across Toronto, including attacks on synagogues, Jewish businesses and the U.S. Consulate, may have something in common: investigators suspect the gunmen were being paid to carry them out.

Now, a new CBC investigation published Tuesday, October 27, is raising an even more troubling possibility. Could the Iranian government be financing some of these attacks?

CBC examined approximately a dozen shootings that appear to have been politically motivated. The incidents followed a strikingly similar pattern: suspects arriving in stolen vehicles, firing multiple shots at buildings, and filming the attacks on their phones.

And the people pulling the triggers weren't necessarily experienced criminals. Some suspects were teenagers, with ages ranging from just 15 to the early 20s.

According to Toronto Police, young people are being recruited through encrypted messaging apps and offered money to carry out shootings. The videos serve as proof that the job was completed.

Among the targets was the U.S. Consulate in downtown Toronto, which was shot at in March and again in July. Several synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses were also targeted. No one was injured in those attacks.

Police have made several arrests and connected firearms to numerous shootings across the GTA. But identifying the people ordering and financing the attacks has proven much more difficult.

That's where the possible Iranian connection comes in.

Earlier this year, a Canadian intelligence assessment raised the possibility that Iranian intelligence services were using local criminal networks to carry out attacks, particularly against Jewish communities.

CBC's latest investigation adds new surveillance footage, court records and details about the suspects, pointing to a possible connection between the Toronto shootings and foreign-backed operations.

However, Iranian involvement has not been conclusively established. Toronto Police, the RCMP and CSIS are continuing to investigate who is ultimately behind the attacks.

Police say the use of encrypted apps and multiple intermediaries makes tracing the money especially challenging. The person firing the gun may have no direct contact with whoever ordered the shooting.

For Toronto's Jewish community, the investigation adds another layer of concern to a series of attacks that have already shaken local institutions.

And while authorities have identified some of the alleged gunmen, the biggest question remains unanswered: Who is paying them, and why?