Man, 38, facing charges after attempted arson at Montreal synagogue

A 38-year-old man is facing several charges after a Montreal synagogue was the target of an attempted arson early Friday morning.

Montreal police were called to the Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom on Sherbrooke Street West in Westmount shortly after midnight. Damage to the building was considered minor and there were no reported injuries.

“When police arrived on the scene, they were assisted by the Westmount public safety officers,” said Caroline Chèvrefils, a spokesperson with Montreal police. “They all quickly located and arrested a suspect not far from the scene, a 38-year-old man.”

The accused is Montreal resident Steven Luu. According to a charge sheet, he is facing charges of arson, possession of incendiary material, using explosives with intent to destroy or damage property, possession of explosives, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Police said the case was transferred to the arson squad and that firefighters were called to quickly bring the flames under control.

Montreal police told CTV News that the case is still under investigation to determine whether or not the incident was hate-motivated.

Meanwhile, at the synagogue, Rabbi Lisa Grushcow said if it weren’t for the quick actions of security officers, the situation could have been much worse.

Grushcow says only smoke got into the building, but it’s not the first time the synagogue has been targeted.

“Memory is short, but just last spring there was a swastika right on this wall that’s beside me and the Canadian Jewish community, like the Jewish community in Australia, in England and elsewhere, has said not only are these incidents increasing, they’re intensifying, and escalating,” she told CTV News.

Montreal’s Holocaust Museum has seen online hate on its social media.

“There’s always been antisemitism, of course, online. We see a lot of it. But now what we’re seeing in Montreal is that it’s really moving out of the corners of the internet and into our real lives,” said the museum’s spokesperson, Sarah Fogg.

Fogg said they’ve always had a strong security plan for the museum’s future home set to open in 2027.

“Combating hate, combating antisemitism has to take place on so many different fronts. And our museum really represents the role of education in changing the way that people think, changing our perceptions of each other, and educating people about the importance of combating hate,” she said.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of antisemitic hate crimes in the country nearly tripled between 2020 and 2024.

It comes days after Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is facing a crisis of antisemitism and announced a new faith advisory council to combat racism and hate in all their forms.

But Rabbi Grushcow wants to see action beyond the creation of more committees.

“We’re not going anywhere. We have something incredibly beautiful in this place, and we’re not giving up on it, you know? We don’t want our neighbours and our leaders to give up on it either,” Grushcow said.