Ahmed sentenced to 66 months for Montreal school shooting

Abdirazak Mahdi Ahmed was sentenced to 66 months in prison for his role in a November 2023 shooting at a Montreal Jewish school, after pleading guilty to a firearms offense. Prosecutors and defense lawyers jointly recommended the sentence, which a judge accepted, according to reports of the court proceeding.

The shooting took place shortly before 5 a.m. on November 12, 2023, at Yeshiva Gedola Merkaz Hatorah in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. The school was empty, and nobody was injured. Police found three bullet holes in the building’s entrance and four spent 9 mm casings outside.

Ahmed, who had been in custody since his arrest in May 2024, received credit for time served. One account of the sentencing said he had about 21 months remaining in prison. Reports said the sentence will be followed by three years of probation, including a condition to stay away from the school.

Prosecutors said they could not establish an antisemitic motive beyond a reasonable doubt. Ahmed’s conviction was for a firearms offense, not an offense based on motive. One report said the agreed facts did not establish whether Ahmed personally fired the gun or drove the vehicle used to leave the scene.