Gun-for-Hire Network Uncovered
Toronto Police Reveal Expansive 'Gun-for-Hire' Networks Linked to 27 Shootings, Foreign Actors
Key Points
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the network recruited “18-year-olds for pay,” and that to get paid the shooters “were required to record their attacks.”
Investigators said they seized a 9 mm handgun allegedly used in six shootings and a .45-caliber handgun allegedly used in 21 shootings, and both weapons “originally came from the United States.”
Officials familiar with the investigation told reporters the alleged “foreign actors” were “likely branches connected to the Iranian regime,” and that court documents have attributed a consulate-area and synagogue shooting to Mohammad al-Saadi, described as a commander facing terrorism charges in the United States.
Police identified key individuals tied to the investigation: veteran officer Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, “was shot on Thursday” during a search and later died; 19-year-old Nicholas Bennett was shot by police and “will be charged with first-degree murder”; and 19-year-old Zara Jabbi was “wanted in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting” and believed to be “armed and dangerous.”
Toronto Police Service data cited in the broader reporting showed 12 shooting incidents in the city’s first three weeks of October 2023—“a 40% increase compared to the same period in 2022.”
Toronto police have linked 27 shootings — including attacks on synagogues and the U.S. Consulate — to a sophisticated "gun-for-hire" network that paid teenagers to carry out the attacks, according to Toronto Police Service. Chief Myron Demkiw said shooters "were required to film their attacks" to get paid, a tactic designed to verify the hit and spread fear online.
The investigation turned deadly on June 11, 2026, when Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was fatally shot during a high-risk raid. Police shot and arrested suspect Nicholas Bennett, 19, who faces first-degree murder charges, according to CBC. A second suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, remains at large and is considered "armed and dangerous."
Teens With Phones and Guns: How the Network Worked
Recruiters used encrypted apps — Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp — to find young adults, according to CBC. The recruits were often 18 or 19 years old. Chief Supt. Joe Matthews confirmed the network specifically targeted "18-year-olds for pay." Investigators say organizers chose young people with criminal records or other vulnerabilities, making them easier to exploit and harder to trace back to the top.
The "proof of performance" requirement set this network apart. Shooters had to record themselves committing attacks to collect payment, Ynet News reported. Police say this served two purposes: it confirmed the job was done, and the footage could be shared online to maximize fear in targeted communities, including Toronto's Jewish neighborhoods.
Two Guns, 27 Shootings, Both Smuggled From the U.S.
Investigators seized two weapons ballistically tied to all 27 shootings. A 9 mm handgun was allegedly used in 6 attacks. A .45-caliber handgun was allegedly used in 21 attacks. Both guns, according to Toronto Police Service, "originally came from the United States," reigniting debate over cross-border gun smuggling and the limits of Canada's handgun ban.
The first major linked attack was the March 10, 2026 shooting at the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue, when a white Honda CR-V stopped out front at 5:29 a.m. and two suspects fired into the building's glass and doors before fleeing, according to CBC. No one was injured. Ballistic evidence later tied that attack to the same .45-caliber handgun used across the broader string of shootings.
Iranian Regime Allegedly Directed the Attacks From Abroad
Court documents have linked the consulate and synagogue shootings to Mohammad al-Saadi, identified as a commander of Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian militia. The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a criminal complaint against al-Saadi on May 15, 2026, charging him with orchestrating international terror attacks, according to Ynet News. Officials familiar with the investigation told reporters the alleged "foreign actors" were "likely branches connected to the Iranian regime."
Security experts say using low-level local recruits gives foreign actors "plausible deniability" — a way to direct violence while staying hard to connect to it. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the involvement of foreign regimes "should concern every Canadian citizen," as reported by Ynet News. The RCMP's national security unit is now running a parallel investigation alongside the FBI, which is tracing the financing links.
One Officer Dead, One Suspect Hunted, City on Edge
Constable Marc Pinizzotto, an 18-year TPS veteran and father of two, was killed during a June 11 raid at 15 Martha Eaton Way — one of five high-risk warrants executed that morning. Nicholas Bennett, 19, was shot by police at the scene and remains in hospital in critical condition. He will face a first-degree murder charge, according to Toronto Police Service.
Zara Jabbi, 19, is still wanted in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting. Police say he was a youth at the time of the March attack, and a court granted a five-day authorization to publish his identity — a rare step that highlights the tension between public safety and Canada's youth privacy laws, CBC noted. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the shootings "violent acts of intimidation" and "part of a pattern of emboldened antisemitism."
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