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A York region shawarma shop owner has been sentenced to 60 days of house arrest after uttering threats to bomb every synagogue in Toronto to “kill as many Jews as possible.”
Justice Edward Prutschi of the Ontario Court of Justice said the threats instilled “fear, anger, and frustration” in the broader Jewish community, at the July 28 sentencing hearing.
“Many Canadian Jews live in a state of perpetual heightened anxiety, whether they are attending synagogues, dropping their children off at Jewish day schools, or merely going about their daily work and leisure activities,” Prutschi said in his reasons for sentencing.
Waisuddin Akbari, 41, was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest followed by three years of probation. The Crown had asked for a four-to-six-month jail sentence to precede three years of probation.
Following the court ruling, Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, a senior director at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, said the sentence is too short, and that the “minimal sentence fails to reflect the severity of the threat.”
“At a time of rampant antisemitism in Canada and elsewhere, it sends an alarming message that threats to slaughter Jews and bomb synagogues may be met with leniency,” Kirzner-Roberts said.
The court heard five community impact statements from Jewish community groups at the sentencing hearing, which Prutschi said described a “profound and pervasive sense of fear and despair” among Canadian Jewish people.
On behalf of B’nai Brith Canada, Richard Robertson noted that Jewish Canadians “do not feel safe in their own communities” and described a “palpable dread hanging over the community.”
Judge’s Decision
Justice Prutschi noted that while Akbari was not found to take any “material steps” to act on the threats he made, the threats were “clearly motivated by bias, prejudice and hate towards Israelis and Jews.”
Prutschi found probation alone to be “insufficient” in reflecting the “gravity” of Akbari’s conduct but noted that the community’s safety would not be endangered if Akbari were to serve his sentence in the community.
“This will send the appropriate message both to him, and to others, that hateful threats against Jews and their institutions will be met by significant sanction,” Prutschi said. “At the same time, it will leave open a path to reconciliation and rehabilitation without the crushing disruption of further jail time.”
Akbari had spent four days in jail awaiting bail, followed by nearly 1.5 years of bail conditions, which he complied with, Prutschi said. Additionally, Akbari has suffered “significant personal consequences” resulting from the publicity of the case, including the loss of his shawarma business, Prutschi noted.
What Happened
On March 4, 2024, Akbari uttered the threats during a conversation with a salesperson at his local BMW dealership, which he was visiting for an oil change.
He mentioned personal views he had about Israel and Jewish people, including the belief that Jews exercised control over world events and plotted to “exterminate anyone who was not Jewish.” He also said he equated Israelis and Jewish people to “roaches who should be exterminated or a cancer that needed to be eliminated.”
“Before I go, I want you to remember my name and remember my face because the next time you see it, I’ll be on the news,” Akbari told the salesperson.
“I know when I’m going to die because I’m going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible.”
Akbari said he was serious about the threats and said he would ensure the attacks were filmed and posted online.
The salesperson reported the conversation to police the following day, and Akbari was charged with threatening to damage Toronto synagogues and threatening death against Jewish people. Prutschi found Akbari to be guilty on Nov. 1, 2024.
Defence
Numerous family members offered letters of support saying Akbari was never heard making anti-Semitic comments or engaging in political discussions about Israel before. He was known to be a “hard-working immigrant Canadian who supported various charitable community causes with donations of food from his restaurant,” Prutschi said.
Additionally, Akbari’s family, who are members of the Ismaili Muslim community, offered support to Akbari on his path to rehabilitation and clarified that the community does not condone the “hate-filled” threats.
Prutschi noted that although Akbari has denied making the specific threats, he has “expressed shame” at his behaviour, displayed insight into the harm the threats caused, expressed opposition to anti-Semitism or any form of violence, and placed himself on a waiting list for supportive services from the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“Mr. Akbari spoke very directly to members of the Jewish community asserting their right to feel safe and secure, particularly in their places of worship,” Prutschi said. “He has taken it upon himself to become better educated about the Jewish faith – something he had almost no knowledge of at the time of the offences.”
Olivia Gomm is a news reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.