Five people are in custody in connection with the violent abduction of a 14-year-old boy who was kidnapped in North York in March.
The teen was on his way to school on the morning of March 4 when he was forced into a dark-coloured Jeep on Driftwood Avenue in North York.
According to witnesses, the boy screamed for help as two men in dark clothing and bandanas pushed him into the vehicle and sped away.
His parents reported their son missing at around 5:30 p.m. that night and were only notified by his school that he did not attend classes that day shortly after 6 p.m.
A burnt-out vehicle believed to be connected to the case was found in Caledon that night and an Amber Alert was issued by midnight, close to 16 hours after the boy was taken.
He was found safe on the night of March 5 near a barn in a rural part of Brampton, where he was being held by his captors.
Investigators later said the boy had been abducted over his stepbrother’s alleged $4 million drug debt.
Speaking at a news conference outside Toronto police headquarters on Thursday, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders confirmed the arrest of four suspects in connection with the case.
The four accused, identified by police as Hamed Shahnawaz, 30, Liban Hussein, 25, Samir Abdekgadir, 38, and Scott Mcmanus, 37, are facing a combined 30 charges, including conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, kidnapping for ransom, uttering death threats, arson, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
As part of the investigation, Saunders said police also seized one kilogram of cocaine, 70 pounds of marijuana, more than $100,000 in cash, body armour, phones, and other electronic devices.
Saunders said officers were searching for an additional suspect, 29-year-old Solaiman Nassimi.
Saunders could not confirm what role the Nassimi allegedly played in the abduction.
Hours following the news conference, police said Nassimi had turned himself in to authorities.
The police chief told reporters that more charges could be laid in connection with the case.
“It is possible that there may be more arrests and more charges as we investigate,” he said.
“What we are looking for are the people that orchestrated it… those that were actively involved in it, and those that were hiding the tracks behind it.”
He said police have determined that the victim “was not and is not involved in any criminality whatsoever.”
“The brother who was allegedly involved in that drug rip caused the family to be in harm’s way which led to this abduction,” Saunders said.
“An innocent young man who had no reason to be abducted, just trying to walk to school, (was) put in such danger over a period of time… He went through a lot of terror.”
