Toronto Man Faces Terror Charge Over Alleged Hamas-Linked Advocacy
Police allege Ahmad Hassan Hajahmad used amplified speeches at two Toronto demonstrations to advocate “detestation and harm” against Jewish and Israeli communities for the benefit of Hamas
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Toronto Police Service and Canada’s RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) have arrested and charged Ahmad Hassan Hajahmad, 33, with a terrorism-related offence following a joint investigation into his alleged conduct at two downtown Toronto demonstrations. Hajahmad has also been identified in secondary reporting and online activist-tracking accounts as Ahmad Jarrar.
Investigators allege that Hajahmad used amplification devices at pro-Palestinian gatherings to make public statements advocating “detestation and harm” against members of the Israeli and Jewish communities, and that his conduct was undertaken for the benefit of, and in association with, Hamas.
Prior Public Activity
Hajahmad, has appeared regularly at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Toronto since at least 2021. He became more prominent after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, as sustained anti-Israel protests spread across the city.
Hajahmad drew criticism from Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman and other public figures in April 2024 after he was photographed at a pro-Palestinian Eid march in downtown Toronto wearing a bandolier-style belt containing coloured smoke canisters.
The Canadian Jewish News reported, citing the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism, that ALCCA chair Mark Sandler filed a formal complaint concerning Hajahmad’s conduct in 2024. Sandler is a veteran Toronto criminal lawyer, and ALCCA describes itself as a coalition of more than 70 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations.
Separate video footage previously circulated online appeared to show Hajahmad, wearing a tactical-style vest, confronting attendees at a pro-Israel event in Toronto. “Every single one of you guys here has one foot in the grave,” he told the crowd. He continued, “Justice will be served to every single one of you guys,” before adding, “The sands of Gaza will swallow every one of you guys. You can go back to Europe, you can go back from wherever you came from.”
Hajahmad has also been photographed demonstrating in a T-shirt bearing an image of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh alongside an inverted red triangle. Hajahmad has separately been recorded referring to Haniyeh as “the chief” and Hamas military spokesman Abu Obeida as “our spokesperson.”
Terrorism Charge and Court Proceedings
On July 20, 2026, the Attorney General of Ontario and the Government of Canada provided the consent required to proceed with the prosecution. Hajahmad was arrested the following day and charged with one count of participating in or contributing to the activity of a terrorist group under section 83.18 of the Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Institutional Response and Reaction
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw framed the charge as part of the force’s approach to enforcement at demonstrations. “Investigations into criminal offences committed at demonstrations do not end when the event is over,” Demkiw said in the July 22 news release.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a national Jewish advocacy organization, called the allegations “chilling.” CIJA chief executive Noah Shack credited Toronto Police and INSET for pursuing the case and said governments and authorities “must do more to confront those who are radicalizing people in our streets to support violence and promote terrorist organizations.”
Statistics Canada data released on July 22, the same day police announced the charge, show that Jewish people were targeted in 788 police-reported hate crimes in 2025, accounting for 71 percent of religion-motivated hate crimes nationwide. Police-reported hate crimes targeting Jewish people have remained at historically elevated levels since October 7, 2023.