On October 30, 2019 York Region Police in Ontario issued the following statement:
Charges Laid Following Vandalism In Georgina
Investigators with the York Regional Police Hate Crime Unit and the #3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau have charged a 35-year-old man after a religious structure was vandalized in the Town of Georgina.
On Saturday, October 19, 2019, shortly after 9 p.m., York Regional Police received a report of vandalism that had occurred on a sukkah that had been built on property owned by the Chabad Jewish Centre of Georgina, in the area of Richmond Park Drive and The Queensway South. Investigators have learned that the sukkah, which is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot, along with a sign on the property, had been vandalized.
On Tuesday, October 29, 2019, investigators identified the suspect and he was placed under arrest at his residence.
Charged:
Saeed AHMAD, 35, Town of Georgina
Charge:
Mischief in Relation to Religious Property
Mr. AHMAD has been held in custody and will be appearing in the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, for a bail hearing.
York Regional Police does not tolerate hate crime in any form. Those who victimize individuals based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or mental or physical disability will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Responding to comments on Twitter, York Region Police stated:
The charge is Mischief in Relation to Religious Property. We have specially-trained hate crime investigators overseeing this case and if the accused is found guilty, any evidence of hate motivation will be entered during sentencing.