Man charged with assault after attack on Jewish father in Montreal caught on video
Sergio Yanes Preciado was charged with assault causing bodily harm, and appeared briefly before a judge from a detention centre in Montreal's north end.
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National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Leslie Roberts: Man in keffiyeh threatens Montreal Jew: 'We will kill you all"
The 911 calls started pouring in to Montreal police around 4:40 p.m. Friday, as the Jewish shabbat neared: A man wearing a long white robe and a keffiyeh-style headscarf was threatening people on a residential street in the city's Saint-Laurent borough. Article content 'We will kill you all,' he shouts at an identifiably Jewish man in one video of the incident. Article content Article content In one clip being widely shared on social media, he appears to be shouting at someone wearing a kippah: 'We will f—ing kill you, OK you f—ing pig.' Article content Article content A second video shows him pointing to the sky and declaring: 'I'm just waiting for the order of the king … There is one king — Allah.' Article content Article content The disturbing footage underscored how frightening the confrontation was for residents. At no time did they shout back or respond angrily. Article content Police officers quickly located a 28-year-old suspect and took him into custody. He remains detained pending a court appearance, with the case now in the hands of the Montreal police hate crimes unit. Charges are likely based on the videos. Article content Sources indicate the man does not live in Saint-Laurent but likely attends a mosque in the borough. That fact risks further inflaming tensions in a neighbourhood where Jewish and Muslim families live side by side in the post-October 7 world. It also highlights the challenge facing Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa: preventing a faraway conflict from spilling into the streets of his borough. Article content DeSousa says he has worked proactively to promote harmony between Jewish and Muslim residents, but Friday's outburst has raised the stakes. In its aftermath, he ordered more visibility from the borough's security patrols and secured assurances from the local Montreal police commander that police presence would be increased. Article content Article content He also planned to meet with Jewish community leaders as soon as Saturday night to send a clear message: 'We've got their backs.' Article content Article content Since October 7, Saint-Laurent has increased security resources around both Jewish and Muslim institutions. The mayor has made a point of underscoring that coexistence is not up for debate. 'No hate or even disrespect will be tolerated,' he added. Article content But the mayor knows his borough can't shoulder this burden alone. He is calling on other levels of government to get more proactive with preventative measures. He has appealed directly to Montreal's mayor, as well as provincial and federal leaders, to not only take the threat of hate and intimidation more seriously but to do so publicly. Article content DeSousa told me Saturday morning: 'The Jewish community has to feel safe in the community.' Article content Friday's arrest is about more than one man's outburst. It speaks to the growing climate of intimidation that has taken root in Montreal and beyond. What starts as heated words can quickly spiral into something more dangerous. In this case, swift police intervention prevented escalation.
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Man arrested after death threat to Jewish man caught on video
By A man has been arrested and will remain in custody after allegedly hurling abuse at a group of people in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough, including a death threat, caught on video, towards a Jewish man. Montreal police said several 911 calls were made Friday at around 4:40 p.m. about a man allegedly making threatening remarks to a group of people near Fraser and Saint-Louis Sts. 'When the police arrived at the scene, they quickly located the suspect, a 28-year-old man,' said police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils. 'Based on information from witnesses, the police arrested the suspect for making threats and hateful remarks toward the group of citizens.' Parts of the incident were caught on video and posted to social media. In one clip, the man appears to be shouting at someone wearing a kippah: 'We will kill you, you f---ing pig.' More hate in Montreal, @spvm thanks for the arrest. @MarkJCarney @AHousefather @RachelBendayan @Val_Plante urgent action is needed. No more hate in Canada, Montreal. #polmtl #polcan — Mayer Feig (@mayerfeig) August 15, 2025 A second clip appears to show another moment in the confrontation, ending with the words: 'I'm just waiting for the order of the king ... There is one king — Allah.' The man seen shouting was wearing a long white robe, a keffiyeh-style headscarf, and sunglasses. It happened today in VSL initially the police refuse to arrest him but later did arrested him. — Yanky (@Yanky_Pollak) August 15, 2025 Chèvrefils said the man will remain in custody until a court appearance on Saturday, which will be held via videoconference. The charges will be determined by Quebec's prosecution service. In a phone interview Friday evening, Alan DeSousa, the borough mayor of Saint-Laurent, condemned the incident, saying such behaviour 'will not be tolerated.' He praised borough security patrols and police for acting quickly, and said patrols would be increased over the coming Sabbath. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and Federation CJA issued a joint statement regarding the incident. 'As Shabbat comes in, a video is circulating showing an individual threatening members of the Jewish community. The individual was spotted during the week. A police report was filed and, thanks to focused and specific pictures of the individual, the Community Security Network (CSN) has been able to work with SPVM to identify him. 'Today, an arrest was made. We will continue to engage appropriately as this case advances. We are pleased to see that an arrest came quickly, thanks to our collaboration with our security partners. 'Those who seek to threaten members of our community must be held accountable.' The incident comes just a week after a separate case in which a 23-year-old man was charged with assaulting a Jewish father
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
French president vows justice after unknown attackers chop down tree honouring murdered Jew
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Friday that no effort will be spared to track down and prosecute unknown attackers who chopped down an olive tree planted in homage to a French Jew murdered in 2006. The commemorative tree for Ilan Halimi, planted 14 years ago in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine, was felled on Wednesday night, seemingly with a chainsaw. The town posted a photo on its Facebook page showing the tree's leafy, bushy top completely severed from its base, leaving just the stump poking from the ground. 'Cutting down the tree that honoured Ilan Halimi is an attempt to kill him for a second time,' Macron posted on X. 'It will not succeed: the Nation will not forget this child of France, killed because he was Jewish.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'All means are being deployed to punish this act of hatred. In the face of antisemitism, the Republic is always uncompromising.' he added. Halimi was found naked, handcuffed and covered with burn marks near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris on Feb. 13, 2006. He died on the way to the hospital after being held captive and tortured for more than three weeks. He was 23. The brutal killing revived worries in France about antisemitism and led to deep anxiety in France's Jewish community, the largest in western Europe. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, in a post on X, said the olive tree 'was felled by antisemitic hatred.' 'No crime can uproot memory. The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our foremost duty,' he wrote. In a separate post, the Paris police chief condemned 'this ignoble act' and said an investigation has been launched. 'Everything will be done to find the perpetrators and deliver them to justice,' he pledged. Attackers have previously desecrated other efforts to keep Halimi's memory alive. In 2017, a commemorative plaque near Paris was ripped off, thrown on the ground and covered with antisemitic writing. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
