Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2026 7:07 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Two suspects are being sought after a multiple shots were fired at the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto Tuesday morning, in what police are calling a "national security incident."

At a joint news conference outside the consulate late Tuesday morning, officials from the RCMP and Toronto Police Service said officers responded to reports that someone had shot at the building, located near Queen Street W. and University Avenue, around 5:30 a.m.

However, Toronto police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said the shooting itself is believed to have happened at 4:29 a.m.

A white Honda CR-V heading southbound on University Avenue reportedly stopped in front of the consulate at that time, Barredo said. Two male individuals then got out of the vehicle and fired multiple rounds at the building with a handgun, he said, before getting back inside and driving southbound.

Toronto police have released this image of a suspect vehicle they believe was involved in the shooting. (Toronto Police Service)

When officers arrived over an hour later, Barredo said, they found gun shell casings and damage to the front door and building. He said people were believed to be inside the building, but no one was injured.

Barredo said the building is heavily fortified, and it's likely people inside didn't even hear shots fired. The shooting was only reported after a witness flagged down an officer in the area an hour later, he said.

A 'national security incident'

RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather told reporters the RCMP was working on the investigation with Toronto police, and other services in the Greater Toronto Area, and had been in contact with American partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He called the shooting a "national security incident," but said there's no indication of a threat to public safety at this time.

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Police said it was too early in the investigation to provide a possible motive.

Asked if there was any link to rising tensions in the Middle East, including the war the U.S. and Israel are waging on Iran, Leather said it was too early to comment. He said investigators will work to determine whether this was an act of terrorism.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact police. Part of University Avenue is closed to traffic near the consulate for the investigation, and police say it's unclear when it will reopen.

Increased police at U.S., Israeli consulates: mayor

Politicians were quick to denounce the incident, with Prime Minister Mark Carney calling it a "reprehensible act of violence and attempt at intimidation" in a social media post Tuesday.

"I am relieved that no one was injured," Carney said. "The RCMP and federal agencies will devote all needed resources to support the Toronto Police Service in their investigation, and to ensure that the perpetrators of these violent acts are identified and brought to the full weight of justice."

In a post on X, Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the shooting as "an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbours."

He said government and law enforcement would do "whatever it takes" to prosecute and punish those responsible.

Speaking to reporters at city hall, Mayor Olivia Chow noted the shooting comes after multiple shootings at Toronto-area synagogues this month, saying: "This cannot stand."

WATCH | Shootings at GTA synagogues lead to heightened security:

Deputy Chief Barredo said investigators are looking at possible connections between the shootings.

“It is not lost on us that the city has unfortunately experienced similar types of events, extremely serious and very concerning shootings at synagogues, and this very much factors into how we will approach this matter,” he said.

Chief Supt. Leather said police are increasing security outside U.S. and Israeli embassies and consulates in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal "in the hopes that we can bring the temperature down in the coming days and weeks.”

The two countries launched a war on Iran on Feb. 28, which prompted large demonstrations, both in protest and support, outside the U.S. consulate on Sunday.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen told CNN Tuesday that the consulate shooting is "very troubling" and shows the need for the U.S. to increase security, in light of the war with Iran "and the spillover that may happen in other places because people are ... upset about the war."