Young man sentenced to 5½ years in prison for shooting at Montreal Jewish school

MONTREAL — A court in Quebec has sentenced a young man to five and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty in a shooting that targeted a Jewish school in Montreal in November 2023. No one was injured, but the incident raised widespread concern about the safety of educational institutions.

The judge handed down the sentence on Monday, Nov. 9, against Abdulrazzaq Mahdi Ahmed, 23, setting the term at 66 months.

Because Ahmed has spent time in custody since his arrest, about 21 months of the sentence remain, to be followed by three years of probation.

Early-morning shooting at the school entrance

The incident dates to Nov. 12, 2023, when Yeshiva Gedola, on Deacon Road in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, was hit by gunfire at about 5 a.m.

Investigators found three bullet marks at the entrance and four 9 mm shell casings near the building.

The attack was linked to a stolen car that left the scene after the shooting.

No one was inside the school at the time and no injuries were reported. However, the repeated targeting of the school within a few days heightened fears among parents and students.

The same site had been hit by gunfire on Nov. 9, at the same time as another Jewish educational institution was targeted.

Information in the case indicated that no link was established between Ahmed and the earlier attack, so the two incidents should not be attributed to him.

How police identified the suspect

Investigators traced an Acura that had been stolen before the attack and was later found abandoned in another part of Montreal.

The investigation uncovered forensic evidence inside the car, including traces of DNA on seized items, along with phone data that helped link Ahmed to the incident.

Ahmed was arrested in May 2024 and faced charges related to discharging a firearm and handling stolen vehicles.

Police also detained a second suspect in February 2025, but that person was cleared of involvement in the shooting, while a separate matter involving a stolen vehicle remained open.

Ahmed pleaded guilty in September 2026.

Published court details indicate that the agreed facts did not conclusively establish whether he pulled the trigger himself or played another role in the operation.

Judge calls attack on schools cowardly

Before issuing the sentence, the court took into account the seriousness of targeting an educational facility, even though the building was empty of students and staff at the time of the shooting.

Judge Pierre Labelle described attacks on schools as cowardly, noting that a sentence cannot erase the harm such incidents leave behind.

The sentence matched a joint recommendation submitted by the Crown and the defence after the guilty plea.

The terms of his probation include staying away from the school and restrictions on possessing firearms, along with other conditions to be set by the authorities.

Was a hate motive proven?

Although the attack targeted a Jewish school during a period of tension and attacks on Jewish institutions in Canada, the Crown said it was unable to prove an antisemitic motive beyond a reasonable doubt.

The sentence therefore cannot be presented as a conviction for a terrorism offence or a judicially established hate crime.

Even so, groups representing the Jewish community said that targeting a place meant for teaching children leaves effects that go beyond physical damage and affects families' sense of safety.

Continuing concerns about school security

The case has brought back into focus the debate over protecting schools and places of worship and confronting armed attacks in Montreal.

Police had stepped up security measures around some institutions after the November 2023 incidents, amid community calls to hold those responsible to account.

The sentence closes this stage of the court proceedings involving Ahmed, taking into account the time he has already spent in custody, but it does not erase the anxiety the incident caused residents.

The facts show that the absence of injuries does not lessen the seriousness of using a firearm against an educational building, particularly when the site is targeted repeatedly.