Man arrested in Ontario for promoting anti-Muslim violence online: police
- A 57-year-old Whitby resident, Sean Farro, was arrested for promoting anti-Muslim violence online and charged with uttering threats and inciting hatred.
- Police stated Farro incited violence and harm against the Muslim community on social media using the name "Sean Strife."
- The arrest follows the recent detention of 19-year-old Alexander Parfitt from Whitby, who threatened to shoot a synagogue online.
- Separately, Sean Ward shot a police officer outside a Belleville synagogue on Yom Kippur; the officer was critically injured but stable, and Ward later died from injuries sustained in a police shootout.
A 57-year-old man has been arrested for promoting anti-Muslim violence online, according to Durham Regional Police.
The Whitby resident identified as Sean Farro was charged on Wednesday with uttering threats and inciting hatred in a public place.
“The suspect willfully incited violence and harm against the Muslim community on social media platforms under the name ‘Sean Strife,'” police said in a news release.
“Acts that target, intimidate, threaten, or instill fear in any individual or group are unacceptable and will be thoroughly investigated.”
This arrest comes days after the Sept. 19 arrest of another Whitby man, 19-year-old Alexander Parfitt, who police said made threats online about shooting a synagogue.
In an unrelated incident, a suspect identified by police as Sean Ward shot a police officer stationed outside of a synagogue in Belleville, Ont. on Sept. 20. The officer, Const. Jeff Smith, was critically injured but is in stable condition.
The shooting occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community.
None of the roughly 25 congregants inside the synagogue were injured.
Ward was injured in a shootout with police and was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition. He died on Tuesday.