By Wa Lone
TORONTO, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday condemned a shooting outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday evening that left a police officer wounded as members of the Jewish community gathered for Yom Kippur services.
“Last night, on the holiest night of the Jewish calendar, a shooting took place outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville,” Carney posted on X. “Jewish people must be able to worship safely. To live free, open, proud Jewish.”
Toronto’s Police Service said it was increasing patrols near synagogues and other places of worship “out of an abundance of caution.”
Carney in June announced a new federal advisory council to combat antisemitism, warning that a surge in hate crimes means the country is failing to protect Jewish Canadians.
The shooting in Belleville, Ontario, about 190 km (118 miles) east of Toronto, occurred at about 7:10 p.m. on Sunday near a residential area in the city’s east end, the Belleville Police Service said in a statement on social media.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said the shooter, a 29-year-old man, was in life-threatening condition and the officer was in critical-stable condition.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting in a post on social media, saying Jewish community members had “every right to gather and worship safely and without fear.”
(Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Bill Berkrot)
