Toronto police officials say multiple shootings across the city and its surrounding area are connected to a “multilayered” gun-for-hire network. The network is linked, they say, to attacks including a shooting at the US consulate in March and shootings targeting synagogues in Canada’s largest city. Police chief Myron Demkiw says investigators believe young adults and teenagers are being recruited through encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp. According to police, recruits are paid to carry out shootings and are required to film the attacks to receive payment. Officials describe the operation as involving “bad actors” who recruit and coordinate participants through messaging applications. Police statements, as reported by multiple outlets, emphasize the existence of structured layers within the network rather than isolated incidents, and they frame the outreach and payments as central to how the group operates. The information provided so far focuses on alleged recruitment methods, the payment system, and the alleged connection between the consulate and synagogue incidents under one network.