Two Canadian Armed Forces Members Charged with Serious Crimes
Two members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been taken off duty after their arrest on serious criminal charges. Laura McIntyre-Grills, a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence, confirmed that Sachintha Fernando and James Moreau were both detained on August 11, 2026. They are part of the 7th Toronto Regiment, which is a reserve unit within Canada’s 32 Canadian Brigade, based out of Moss Park Armory in Toronto.
Fernando and Moreau face multiple charges, including kidnapping, organized crime, and theft of firearms. Both individuals hold the rank of bombardier, equivalent to a corporal in other military systems.
“After their arrests, both were removed from all military duties, and their access to CAF equipment and facilities has been restricted,” McIntyre-Grills stated. “They remain members of the CAF while an administrative review takes place. This review assesses issues that might affect their service while ensuring fairness in the process,” she added.
According to the Toronto Sun, the administrative review is formally structured to look into matters potentially impacting a member’s continued service, providing procedural fairness for the accused.
As of now, the details surrounding the allegations against Fernando and Moreau have not been made public by the Canadian Department of National Defence. They referred additional inquiries to the Toronto Police, which has not yet released any statements regarding the case.
Various Canadian news outlets have attempted to contact the Toronto Police for more information about the charges against the two soldiers but reported receiving no immediate responses as of Monday.
Reports indicate that Canadian Army officials are collaborating with the Toronto Police in the ongoing investigation. McIntyre-Grills explained that Fernando joined the Canadian Army as a Reservist in January 2020, although he has not yet been deployed for any operations. In contrast, Moreau enlisted as a Reservist in March 2018 and took part in Operation LASER, which was the CAF’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
