Sean Ward, a former infantry soldier who died after a gun battle with police outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., had sued the Canadian Armed Forces for $1 million over his 2022 discharge for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine, court records show. The 29-year-old was a corporal based at CFB Edmonton when he declined vaccination on what the lawsuit described as “religious grounds” and was classified as “unsuitable for further military service.”

Police confirmed Thursday that Ward targeted the Jewish community when he arrived armed outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue on Sunday. Worshippers were observing Yom Kippur, the holiest evening of the Jewish faith. A police officer stationed nearby exchanged gunfire with Ward, and a second officer arrived during the incident.

Belleville police Chief Murray Rodd said: “Make no mistake, this was a targeted attack against the Jewish community.” Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said police action had prevented a “massacre in the making.”

A recording of the shooting played at a police news conference captured Ward shouting about Jews. Police said he approached the synagogue with a shotgun and other weapons. An officer had been posted outside after congregants reported a suspicious vehicle a week earlier; gunfire erupted at about 7 p.m., police said.

Ward was wounded in the exchange and died in hospital on Monday night. Const. Jeff Smith, one of the officers, also suffered gunshot wounds and remained in hospital, according to Global News. A GoFundMe page for Smith had raised more than $500,000. His wife wrote in a social media post: “He is the best man I know. He is a man of integrity…And right now, he is fighting.”

The lawsuit, filed in Federal Court, said Ward had served honorably for almost five years and claimed his dismissal caused $140,000 in financial losses. It said he was told no exemption from receiving the injections would be made, that he refused them, faced remedial measures and was released under category 5(f), “unsuitable for further military service.”

Ward’s case also alleged that he and other plaintiffs experienced “permanent psychological, physical and emotional trauma,” post-traumatic stress disorder and a “loss of trust in others” as a result of their discharges. The court records add information about his financial difficulties and grievances over his departure from the army in 2022, but the claims in the suit are allegations.

The federal government denied the lawsuit’s allegations and argued the case should be dismissed. Its statement of defence said vaccination was “safe, effective, and accepted as part of a proper response to the pandemic.” It described the COVID-19 pandemic as “a fundamental threat to the lives of Canadians, the Canadian economy, and the ability of the CAF to carry out its mandate,” and said vaccination was key to protecting Canadian Armed Forces members and Department of National Defence employees and carrying out that mandate.

Global News reported that sources said Ward promoted COVID-19 conspiracy theories while serving with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. One source said he also repeated antisemitic memes. The Alberta law firm representing him in the case, Valour Legal, had not responded to requests for comment about Ward.

University of New Brunswick sociology professor David Hofmann, who studies far-right extremism in Canada’s military, said antisemitic conspiracy theories were “a tale as old as time.” He said they are often linked to wider social, political or ideological crises, including the pandemic. “Anytime there’s some sort of societal unrest, the antisemitic community will find some way to tie it to Judaism. It’s not a new trope, it’s just basically an odd justification that is used to justify violence.”

Hofmann said far-right groups used the pandemic and vaccines to promote conspiracies about Jews and Muslims to attract recruits. “So seeing this overlap and this type of conspiracy theory mesh with anti-vax rhetoric is not a surprise,” he said.

Canadian intelligence reports have described conspiracy theories circulating widely during the pandemic, with extremist groups and foreign adversaries exploiting the health crisis to blame Jews, immigrants and government officials. Canada’s Jewish community has faced a renewed wave of antisemitic hatred and violence over the past three years, including assaults, threats, arsons and shootings. Police have disrupted at least four recent terrorist plots directed at Jews.

On Thursday, B’nai Brith Canada urged the federal government to immediately provide armed security and increase police presence at Jewish institutions. The organization said: “A mass-casualty event during this past weekend seems to have been avoided only because of the actions of trained and armed law enforcement. This reinforces the need for Canadian leaders to ensure members of law enforcement are present at every Jewish institution moving forward.”

Based on reporting by Global News.