An Ontario man who threatened to "kill as many Jews as possible" by bombing every synagogue in Toronto has been sentenced to sixty days house arrest.Waisuddin Akbari was found guilty of uttering threatening remarks in November.Justice Edward Prutschi did not side with the prosecution, who sought jail time, nor the defence, who were pushing for a conditional discharge with probation. In addition to the house arrest, Akbari will be educated about antisemitism, and have to follow through with his promise to seek support from the Canadian Mental Health Association."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 rehabilitation, without the crushing disruption of further jail time.".Akbari, who was born in Afghanistan but grew up in Pakistan, owns a shawarma restaurant in Newmarket, was said to have uttered the threats at a car dealership in town on March 4, 2024. While speaking with a salesman who appeared to be Pakistani, Akbari brought up the situation in Israel and Palestine."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, according to the salesman. "I'll make sure those attacks are filmed and posted online so the world can see what I've done."The salesman reported the comments to police, and Akbari was arrested a short time later.In an interview with Global News, he denied making the remarks, and claimed not to know what a synagogue was..Following the sentencing, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a scathing statement."It's because of Akbari and those like him that Jewish Canadians don't feel safe, and indeed are not safe, even in the very spaces meant to offer solace and peace," Senior Director of Policy Jaime Kirzner-Roberts said. "While we appreciate the court's acknowledgement of the virulently antisemitic nature of this crime, this minimal sentence fails to reflect the severity of the threat."Kirzner-Roberts went on to note that "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."She called the ruling "extremely disappointing and profoundly unsettling."
