Montreal man sentenced for hate crimes

November 18, 2008

TORONTO (JTA)—A Montreal man was sentenced to four years in prison for what a judge described as terrorist acts against two Jewish communal buildings in the city.

Azim Ibragimov, 25, pleaded guilty earlier this year to tossing a firebomb at a Jewish school in September 2006 and months later at a Jewish community center. He also received three years’ probation.

Ibragimov already has served 19 months, which counts as double, leaving him just 10 months to serve. His co-accused, Omar Bulphred, who faces nine charges related to the same incidents, is back in court next month.

In the first incident, Ibragimov threw a Molotov cocktail into Skver-Toldos, a yeshiva, minutes after students had left. The firebombing damaged the building.

Seven months later he planted a bomb made with two propane canisters at the door of the Ben Weider Community Centre. It caused minimal damage.

B’nai Brith Canada welcomed the sentence, applauding in particular the judge’s recognition of the hate-motivated and terrorist-related aspects of the crimes.

The Canadian Jewish Congress called the verdict "just and appropriate" because the crimes were driven "by hate against the Jewish community."

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