Gunman who opened fire on two Toronto-area synagogues earlier this year to serve two years in a youth detention facility, plus one year of community supervision.By World Israel News StaffA Canadian teenager who was paid to open fire on two synagogues in the Toronto area has received the maximum sentence available for his offenses under Canada’s youth justice system, as Jewish organizations demand that authorities identify the people who financed and organized the attacks.The offender, identified only as J.B. because of restrictions under Canadian law, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in a youth detention facility followed by one year of community supervision. He was 17 when the shootings occurred in March.Ontario Court of Justice Judge Michael Alexander Townsend described the attacks as “planned, calculated and brazen,” saying that it was only through “good luck and good fortune” that no one was injured.The teenager had pleaded guilty to firearms-related offenses stemming from the shootings, which targeted two Modern Orthodox congregations within approximately an hour of each other.The first attack occurred shortly before midnight on March 6 at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue, known as BAYT, in Vaughan, Ontario. Gunfire struck the building’s entrance while two people were inside.Shortly after midnight on March 7, shots were fired at Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in northern Toronto, damaging its front entrance.Although nobody was injured in either attack, both buildings suffered significant damage. According to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Canada, a youth group had left the vicinity of one of the synagogue entrances less than 10 minutes before the shooting.Court records established that the teenager received payment for carrying out the attacks, but the identities of those who ordered or financed the shootings have not been determined. Investigators have also not publicly established why the two Jewish institutions were selected.The teenager was not convicted of a hate-motivated offense, a distinction that Jewish community representatives warned should not be interpreted as evidence that antisemitism played no part in the attacks.Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, senior director of policy and advocacy at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Canada, welcomed the sentence but stressed that significant questions remain unanswered.“The sentencing of the person who pulled the trigger can’t be the end of this story,” she said.Kirzner-Roberts argued that the financial motivation of the teenage gunman did not necessarily explain the motivation of whoever hired him, warning that antisemitism could have influenced the selection of targets even if the shooter himself was primarily interested in money.The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto also welcomed the maximum sentence, describing the attacks as part of a broader escalation in antisemitic violence against Jewish Canadians.“These were not just buildings that came under fire,” the organizations said in a joint statement, emphasizing the significance of the synagogues as religious and communal institutions.The organizations urged authorities to pursue those responsible for recruiting, directing and financing the gunman, expressing concern that criminal networks could continue employing young people to attack Jewish institutions.Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw previously linked the synagogue shootings to a series of suspected criminal-for-hire operations in the Toronto area, including an attack targeting the US Consulate.Demkiw said such operations involved recruiting young people through encrypted messaging applications, sometimes requiring perpetrators to record their attacks as evidence before receiving payment.Police arrested the teenage gunman in May, subsequently charging another 17-year-old from Waterloo in connection with the synagogue shootings.In August, authorities announced the arrest of a third suspect, 23-year-old Chris Perreira of Barrie, Ontario, who was charged in connection with both synagogue attacks and two additional shootings.Police said at the time that they were no longer searching for additional suspects in connection with the synagogue shootings, although the investigation remained active. The charges against the other suspects have not established who ultimately commissioned the attacks.Jewish organizations have also raised concerns about the possible involvement of foreign actors in criminal-for-hire operations in Canada.In their joint statement, CIJA and UJA pointed to Canadian intelligence warnings about the potential use of local criminal networks by Iran’s government, calling for investigators to determine whether foreign-directed operations played any role in attacks against Jewish institutions.The attacks occurred amid a broader series of violent incidents targeting Jewish institutions in Canada, including shootings, arson attacks and other acts of intimidation.Jewish community leaders have repeatedly called for increased security funding and stronger law enforcement measures to protect synagogues, Jewish schools and community facilities.The post Canadian teen gets two years in youth detention for shooting attacks on synagogues appeared first on World Israel News.