Toronto police said Thursday that a vehicle sought in the investigation into a shooting at the United States consulate in downtown Toronto earlier this week has been recovered, and that the car was stolen before the attack. Officers said the vehicle—a white Honda CR-V—was found “within hours” of the Tuesday morning shooting.
Police said there were no injuries reported after the incident. They said two people pulled up in front of the consulate around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, fired a handgun at the consulate building, and then fled the scene.
Authorities said the shooting came amid heightened tension linked to the Iran war and followed gunfire attacks on two Toronto-area synagogues last weekend. Toronto has a large Iranian community, and the U.S. consulate is often the site of protests related to the war, authorities said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the shooting is being treated as a “national security incident,” and officials said the U.S. and Israeli consulates, as well as embassies in Ottawa, would see an increase in security. Police also said the shooting was not reported until about an hour later and that it is possible the people inside the heavily fortified building were unaware of what had taken place.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the shooting as an act of intimidation, according to the police and government reactions reported with the case.