Key facts
- Constable Marc Pinizzotto was killed on Thursday while executing search warrants in Toronto.
- The investigation is exploring links between the shooting and a series of global terror attacks.
- The search was related to shootings, including an incident at the US consulate in Toronto in March.
- Authorities are considering a connection to a network of "shooters for hire" and organized crime.
- An Iraqi national, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, charged with terrorism in the US, is alleged to have claimed responsibility for the Toronto consulate shooting.
- Al-Saadi is accused of leading a group that works with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to target US and Israeli interests.
Canadian authorities are investigating the killing of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who died on Thursday while executing search warrants in Toronto. The investigation is exploring whether his death is connected to a broader series of global terror attacks, including threats made against US interests linked to Iran.
Pinizzotto, a member of the emergency taskforce, was killed during a dawn search of an apartment building. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw stated the search concerned multiple shootings, including an incident targeting the US consulate in Toronto in March, where no one was injured.
Sources suggest investigators are examining the possibility of a link to a city-wide network of "shooters for hire" and potentially to escalating attacks on tow truck companies in the region. The investigation is also considering a connection to a global terror network that has allegedly threatened retribution for US actions against Iran.
US court documents indicate that Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi national charged with terrorism in the US, has claimed responsibility for the Toronto consulate shooting. The FBI alleges that al-Saadi, who is accused of leading a group that works with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to attack US and Israeli targets, suggested in a recorded call that "our people" were behind the Toronto attack.
Nicholas Bennett, 19, has been charged with the first-degree murder of Pinizzotto. Police are actively searching for another 19-year-old, Zara Jabbi, and have warned he may still be armed. Ontario's special investigations unit is overseeing the inquiry into the exchange of gunfire that resulted in Pinizzotto's death. Pinizzotto, a father of two, was remembered for his 18 years of service and community involvement.