Man allegedly showed up armed at Toronto school: ‘I want to kill Jews’

The unidentified man has been arrested by Toronto police and charged.

According to the Toronto Star, "the man was riding a bike through a school property in the Lawrence Avenue West and Bathurst Street area when students confronted him for being on the property."

Allegedly, the suspect left at first, but returned and became belligerent, which is when the confrontations started.

People are naturally on edge following the tragic Uvalde school shooting, said Jaime Kirzner-Robert, a director of policy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.

"An incident like this, especially on the heels of the horror that happened at a US school earlier this week, it’s been very disturbing," Kirzner-Robert said. "And obviously no hate crime is more disturbing than one that appears to target children, as this one did."

Kirzner-Robert also commented on the brave staff member who confronted the suspect, possibly avoiding a much worse outcome to the situation.

"The staff member was able to somehow hold or apprehend the perpetrator until police arrived. So obviously, we’re very grateful that something much worse that could have happened was averted …. We look forward to learning more about what sounds like a heroic staff member."

The Star further reports the staff member is a cook working at the yeshiva, and a former soldier with the Israeli Defense Forces.