Canadian Police Arrested Three Men Linked To ISIS Terrorism And Hate Crime Charges Amid Joint GTA Investigation

 

December 19, 2025 l Dalena Reporters 

TORONTO — In a coordinated multi-agency security operation that has captured national attention, Canadian law enforcement officials confirmed the arrest and charging of a Toronto resident on multiple terrorism-related offences linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) and a wider criminal investigation into violent, hate-motivated attacks targeting women and members of the Jewish community in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Authorities framed the development as both a disruption of extremist activity and a critical measure to safeguard public safety in one of Canada’s largest metropolitan regions.

According to an official news release from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), 26-year-old Waleed Khan of Toronto was apprehended on Nov. 26, 2025, culminating a months-long investigation into offences that allegedly occurred between June 17 and August 17, 2025. Khan faces a series of terrorism charges, notably including providing property and social media accounts that he knew would directly benefit the Islamic State, and conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit of or in association with a terrorist group — offences laid under Canada’s Criminal Code.

The RCMP detailed that Khan is accused of multiple indictable offences, including knowingly making property available for use by a terrorist organization and conspiring with persons both known and unknown to commit murder, contravening specific sections of the Criminal Code designed to counter terrorism financing, facilitation and violent acts that support designated extremist groups. These allegations, if proven in court, represent a significant breach of Canadian national security statutes framed to address both material support and operational collaboration with foreign terrorist organizations.

Simultaneously, a parallel criminal investigation — dubbed Project Neapolitan and led jointly by the Toronto Police Service and Peel Regional Police resulted in the arrest of Khan alongside two other individuals, Osman Azizov, 18, and Fahad Sadaat, 19. The triad faces a combined total of 79 charges encompassing kidnapping, attempted kidnapping with firearms, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, hostage-taking and other offences that investigators have linked, at least in part, to hate-motivated extremism inclusive of threats and violence towards women and the Jewish community.

Police accounts detail two violent incidents in the GTA that triggered the Project Neapolitan probe: a May 31 encounter in north Toronto in which three armed men attempted to force a woman into a vehicle before fleeing when interrupted by a passerby, and a June 24 incident in Mississauga where similarly armed suspects pursued two women before again retreating due to intervention by a witness. Searches of the suspects’ residences subsequently uncovered firearms, ammunition and high-capacity magazines, key evidentiary elements in advancing both the criminal and terrorism aspects of the case.

Law enforcement officials and community leaders reacted strongly to the unfolding charges. Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw and Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah emphasised that the investigation bridging hate-motivated criminality and terrorism underscored a grave threat requiring federal, provincial and local collaboration. Statements from advocacy groups, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, highlighted broader concerns about the potential for targeted extremist violence and called for decisive action to counter radicalization and protect vulnerable communities.

The linkage of an alleged ISIS affiliation to criminal conduct within Canada underscores persistent global security challenges, even as the so-called Islamic State has lost territorial control in its former strongholds abroad. Canadian authorities have routinely warned that extremist propaganda continues to inspire isolated actors and small cells, with radicalization often facilitated through encrypted social media networks and digital communication channels.

All three accused are scheduled to appear in Ontario court on Jan. 29, 2026. Legal proceedings will determine the admissibility of evidence and the applicability of both terrorism and criminal charges. Prosecutors face a complex task in combining national security legal frameworks with conventional criminal law while upholding procedural protections that govern Canada’s judicial system.

The case has reignited debates over domestic extremist threats, policing strategy and preventative counter-radicalization efforts across Canada, prompting calls for enhanced intelligence sharing and community-centric approaches to identifying early signs of violent ideology before it translates into targeted attacks.