Someone fired shots at the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto early Tuesday, police said, marking the second attack on an American diplomatic mission in less than 48 hours and the latest in a wave of gun violence targeting Jewish and U.S.-affiliated sites across the city.
Toronto police received a report of gunfire at 5:29 a.m. local time. Officers arrived to find “evidence of a firearm discharge” outside the consulate, including bullet holes in the glass door and approximately 10 shell casings on the ground.
No injuries were reported. No suspect has been identified.
Streets in the vicinity of the consulate have been closed as investigators process the scene.
A Pattern of Attacks
The shooting comes amid a surge of violence targeting Jewish and U.S.-affiliated sites in Toronto since the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran began on February 28.
Three separate Jewish synagogues in the city have been struck by bullets over the past week . A Toronto boxing gym owned by an Iranian-Canadian critic of the Iranian government was also hit by gunfire last Monday.
Police have not said whether Tuesday’s consulate shooting is connected to those incidents, but the timing and target raise obvious questions.
The Oslo Link
The Toronto shooting follows an explosion outside the U.S. embassy in Oslo, Norway, on Sunday. Norwegian police are investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism, seeking a suspect believed to have placed an improvised device near the building.
The explosion caused minor damage and no injuries. The U.S. State Department is also investigating.
Officials in Norway are examining whether the Oslo attack is linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict involving the United States.
The Broader Threat
The attacks come amid heightened fears of retaliation by Iranian proxy groups following the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader and launched the current conflict.
U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide have been on elevated alert since the war began. Tuesday’s shooting in Toronto and Sunday’s bombing in Oslo suggest those fears are well-founded.
What Happens Next
Toronto police continue to investigate. No suspect has been named. No motive has been established. But the pattern is unmistakable: U.S. and Jewish targets in Canada are being shot at, and no one knows who is pulling the trigger — or why.
