ST. CATHARINES, ON – One day after pro-Palestinian demonstrators broke up a Hamilton Police Services Board forum regarding a controversial trip to Israel by Chief Brian Mullen, a “co-president” of the Niagara Palestinian Association was arrested by Niagara Regional Police for allegedly making a terrorist threat against the Jewish community.
“Maybe it’s time to blow up some Jews,” Burhan Azzeh – husband of the other co-president, Susan Howard-Azzeh – is reported to have told co-workers at his job on the Welland Canal. One of them called police to report this threat. Azzeh, 49, was arrested and charged and was then released on bail after spending one night in jail. He was ordered to surrender his passport to police and not to leave the St. Catharines area, to stay away from St. Catharines’ B’nai Israel synagogue and to avoid “any functions or protests where members of the Jewish community can reasonably be expected to be in attendance.”
Last year the Jewish Tribune did a survey of security measures at synagogues across Canada and, coincidentally, B’nai Israel was the only one to report hostile activity with damage to parked cars. At the time it was dismissed as “mischief” rather than an antisemitic act.
In the wake of Azzeh’s arrest, which was immediately reported by police to the synagogue, B’nai Israel has hired extra security personnel for the high holidays and has been assured of frequent patrols by Niagara Regional Police.
According to sources, local police are sensitive to terrorism because of the large Muslim population with several St. Catharines area residents reportedly in custody at Guantanamo Bay, the US’s repository for suspected Al-Qaeda members.
Niagara Regional Police are continuing to investigate the matter but were unequivocal in stating that there is no connection with the actions of Azzeh’s wife who was instrumental in breaking up the Hamilton forum when she reportedly snatched the microphone from in front of Police Services Board Chairman Bernie Morelli. Said NRP Inspector Brian Eckhart: “One of the things I wanted to be very clear about was that this arrest has nothing to do with anything that was said or done at that meeting. This is something that was said the following day here in the Niagara region.”
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