4 More People Face Charges in Suspected Hate‑Related Assaults on Toronto Jewish Community

Two adults and two teens have been charged in connection with a pair of alleged hate-motivated attacks targeting Toronto’s Jewish community, police say.

The charges are linked to alleged assaults on April 30 and May 7 when victims “visibly identifiable as Jewish” were shot from a passing vehicle with a “gel blaster” imitation firearm, Toronto police Chief Supt. Katherine Stephenson said at a June 3 press conference.

“While the weapon involved was an imitation firearm, the victims did not know that at the time,” she said. “They believed they were being shot at and they experienced the fear and shock that comes with believing that someone is shooting at you.”

Stephenson said evidence gathered during the investigation pointed to the incidents being planned by more than one individual with the alleged goal of targeting the Jewish community. Police have connected a total of seven suspects to the first incident, but not all were associated with the second, she said.

The investigation was launched after officers responded on April 30 to an assault in the Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West area. Reports indicated that three victims, clearly identifiable as Jewish, were walking outdoors when a suspect in a blue Lexus SUV fired an imitation gun at them. The victims sustained minor injuries and the suspect vehicle fled the scene.

A second incident occurred on May 7 near Bathurst Street and Highway 401 where three people were standing outside of the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue. They also were shot at with an imitation firearm before the suspects fled the scene in what appeared to be the same SUV, police said.

“There was commonality between the vehicle used and some of the suspects that linked this together,” Stephenson said.

Arrests and Charges

Police arrested the first suspect in connection with the investigation on May 8 after officers seized two gel-blaster imitation firearms during a search of a residence and a vehicle in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto. Vaughan resident Ruslan Novruzov, 18, was arrested and charged with four counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. 

Four additional suspects were arrested and charged on May 22 following further investigation by the counter terrorism security unit, Stephenson said, adding that Novruzov’s arrest was instrumental in guiding the police to the four new individuals who were recently detained.

Two Toronto men, a male youth, also from Toronto, and a female youth from Thornhill, Ont., all face charges in connection with the investigation. The teens can’t be named due to provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Luka Chokheli, 20, and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with three counts of assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon. Alishahin Isayev, 23, and a 17-year-old girl are facing the same charges, as well as one count each of mischief interfering with property.

Both of the adults were scheduled to appear at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on May 22 while the teens have an Aug. 12 court date. Police did not say if the suspects were granted bail.

Two additional suspects, one male and one female, have yet to be identified, Stephenson said, adding that the police have been taking the investigation “seriously.”

“We know the profound effect incidents like this have on the community,” she said. “Beyond the individuals directly involved, they create fear, anxiety, and uncertainty for countless others who see themselves reflected in the victims. People question whether they are safe attending religious services, walking in their neighbourhood, or openly expressing who they are.”

The shootings comes amid a spike in hate crimes targeting Jewish communities across Canada since October of 2023, when the Israel-Hamas war broke out after the Hamas terrorist group killed nearly 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage.

B’nai Brith said in April that anti-Semitic attacks across Canada hit a record high of 6,800 incidents in 2025, a 145.6 percent jump from 2022. The highest concentration of attacks have occurred in the Greater Toronto Area.