ع
Toronto police said a single shot struck the US consulate on University Avenue around 4:45 a.m. local time prompting an officer stationed at the site since the prior attack to pursue a white sedan lacking license plates. The high-speed chase exceeded 140 kilometres per hour before officers terminated it for safety reasons according to statements shared with multiple Canadian outlets including Global News. One shell casing was recovered with visible damage to the building facade while at least two people were inside the heavily fortified compound at the time of the shooting.
The Monday incident marks the second attack on the diplomatic facility in 2026 following a March shooting that Canadian authorities treated as a national security matter Reuters reported. In that earlier event two men exited a white SUV fired multiple rounds from a handgun and fled prompting three arrests tied to a gun-for-hire network. Police boosted security at US and Israeli diplomatic sites across Canada after the March attack as detailed in contemporaneous coverage from the news service.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Jonathan Ko described the latest event as another troubling incident during the ongoing investigation conducted with international partners. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the shooting brazen while Deputy Chief Frank Barredo of the Toronto Police Service stated We will bring the people responsible to justice. The US consulate later thanked law enforcement in a post on X according to reports from Reuters and local broadcasters.
Related enforcement actions have intersected with the consulate probes including June raids by the Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force that left Constable Marc Pinizzotto aged 43 dead. Two individuals aged 18 and 19 were arrested in connection with the March consulate shooting and additional gunfire incidents police statements to outlets show. These cases form part of a wider pattern of targeted attacks that prompted sustained diplomatic security enhancements.
US authorities in May arrested Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi then 32 for allegedly planning more than a dozen attacks on Jewish and American targets across North America and Europe including the Toronto consulate. That case drew coverage from NBC News and other international wires underscoring concerns over threats to diplomatic missions. Gunfire also struck two Jewish-owned bakeries in the Toronto area over the preceding weekend though investigators have drawn no direct link to the consulate attacks.
Toronto police continue to seek information from the public and have issued a city-wide alert for possible suspects in the latest shooting. No motive has been disclosed as the joint probe with the RCMP proceeds. The consulate at 360 University Avenue remains operational under the reinforced protection measures first implemented after the March incident.
