Police say that they have made a third arrest in connection with shootings at synagogues in Toronto and Vaughan in March and are no longer seeking additional suspects. The shootings took place over the span of about 20 minutes in the late hours of March 6 and the early hours of March 7. The Beth Avraham Yosef of Toronto synagogue in Thornhill and a synagogue near Bathurst Street and Glencairn Avenue were both struck by gunfire, though no injuries were reported. In May, police arrested a 17-year-old male and another individual who was 17 at the time of the shootings and charged them with a combined total of 15 offences in connection with the incidents. In a news release issued Monday, police confirmed that a third suspect who was previously charged in relation to a shooting at a residence near Clubhouse Road and Pine Valley Drive in Vaughan is now also facing charges in the synagogue shootings. That suspect has been identified as Chris Perreira, 23, of Barrie. “There are no outstanding suspects related to the synagogue shootings. The investigation remains ongoing,” police said in the news release. Police have previously said that a series of synagogue shootings in the GTA have been linked to an alleged guns-for-hire network that is offering individuals payment to carry out shootings. In a statement issued on Monday, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs called the latest arrest an “important development” in the investigation but said that many questions still need to be answered. “With the alleged perpetrators now in custody, investigators must continue working to identify and hold accountable anyone or any foreign actor who may have recruited, directed, or financed these attacks,” the statement notes.
