Most wanted suspect arrested hours after officials announce new BOLO campaign

Just one day after the BOLO campaign announced a new top 25 list of wanted suspects, the number one suspect, wanted for first-degree murder in the death of a Toronto man, has been taken into custody.

As a part of a new top 25 most wanted list of fugitives in Canada, officials and the Toronto Police Service offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information that leads to the arrest of 32-year-old Abilaziz Mohamed.

Mohamed was wanted for first-degree murder in connection with the death of 43-year-old Craig MacDonald, who was fatally shot at an east-end parking lot on Oct. 13, 2021.

Police say just hours after the BOLO program announcement, they receievd anonymous information about Mohamed’s location and he was arrested.

He has now been charged with first-degree murder and was expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

Police Chief James Ramer thanked the member of the public who provided the information that led to the arrest of BOLO’s number one suspect.

“We hope this provides a small amount of closure for the victim’s family,” said Ramer in a statement. “We work proudly and effectively with our BOLO partners and this successful arrest sends a clear message to those who continue to evade justice – you will be found.”

Dreama MacDonald, Craig’s sister, shared her “heartfelt thanks to the BOLO program” for amplyfying her brother’s case, leading to the arrest of Mohamed.

“The news this morning came with so many emotions. Enormous relief, of course. But also sadness, because this arrest won’t bring Craig back. It does not end this chapter of grief, read her statement. “The only grace it brings is that it allows us to take the next step forward in this most unfortunate journey.”

Photo of Craig MacDonald (Courtesy Drema MacDonald)

The chair of Toronto CrimeStoppers, Sean Sportun, tells CityNews the reward money has yet to be claimed by anyone. He also could not confirm or deny the anonymous tip that lead to the arrest came through CrimeStoppers in order to protect the anonymity of the program.

Sportun says while the $250,000 reward could be a motivating factor, money is not always the motivating factor in tips and sometimes it’s just because a suspect’s face is front and centre in the news.

“Anytime you put out any type of awareness campaign or a campaign where you are looking for information for a specific person, you are going to get a spike in calls to police or CrimeStoppers,” said Sportun.

“Am I surprised we recieved tips? Not so much, but I’m surprised that the police were able to find this person on the information they received.”