Security experts and former diplomats are issuing a stark warning: a deadly anti-Jewish terror attack on Canadian soil is not a question of if, but when. This chilling assessment comes in the immediate aftermath of the horrific attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, which left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured during a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, December 15, 2025.
An Attack is 'Imminent' and 'Inevitable'
Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian ambassador and senior national security official, expressed grave concern. "We should not assume that we're immune from this kind of attack in Canada—in fact, I'm worried it's imminent," Wilczynski told the Toronto Sun. He emphasized that a single failure by intelligence agencies or police could allow such a tragedy to unfold here.
Casey Babb, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and advisor to Secure Canada, echoed this sentiment, calling a Bondi-style attack in Canada "all but inevitable." Babb pointed to a dangerous normalization of extremist rhetoric in the country since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, 2023. "Language that only a few years ago you would have heard coming out of a prison cell in Egypt or a cave in Afghanistan," Babb said, "Now you're hearing it in your local coffee shop, universities, or outside restaurants."
Criticism of Law Enforcement and Political Leadership
The response from law enforcement, particularly in Toronto, has drawn intense criticism. Vivian Bercovici, Canada's former ambassador to Israel, was blunt in her assessment of Toronto Police. "When it comes to protecting Toronto's Jewish community, Toronto police 'just don't care,'" Bercovici stated. She accused officials and politicians of allowing an explosion of extremism by failing to enforce the Criminal Code against protesters who chant calls for violence and the annihilation of Israel.
Bercovici referenced the January 2024 incident where a uniformed Toronto Police officer delivered coffee to anti-Israel activists illegally occupying an overpass. She called the situation a "national crisis," criticizing not only Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Ontario Premier Doug Ford but also Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw for abdicating their duty to serve and protect.
A Pattern of Foiled Plots and Rising Extremism
Data underscores the escalating threat. Babb noted that terrorism-related charges in Canada have risen by almost 500% in the year following October 7, 2023. While several attacks have been thwarted, the pattern is alarming.
In December 2023, a 15-year-old in Ottawa was arrested in an alleged plot targeting Jews, with police finding explosive substances. In January 2024, Bezhani Sarvar, 28, allegedly stormed Edmonton City Hall with a rifle and Molotov cocktails, citing the Gaza conflict in an online manifesto. Last July, 21-year-old Zachareah Adam Quraishi was shot dead after traveling from Alberta to Israel in an alleged attempt to attack soldiers.
A particularly worrying parallel to the father-son attackers in Bondi is the case of Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi and his son. Arrested north of Toronto in July 2025 in connection with an alleged foiled terror plot, the elder Eldidi had become a Canadian citizen just three months prior. Immigration officials reportedly failed to identify him as a participant in a 2015 ISIS torture video.
"It's not a miracle that we haven't seen this in Canada—it's the work of security officials who've saved the lives of countless individuals," Babb concluded. "But at a certain point, you can only play Whack-a-Mole for so long." The warnings from Canada's security establishment are clear: the time for complacency is over.
