--- born: 1994 category: Extremism & Violent Networks created: 2026-05-21 location: Rexdale, Ontario, Canada summary: Guilherme Von Neutegem was a Toronto-area Order of Nine Angles adherent who in 2020 fatally stabbed mosque caretaker Mohamed-Aslim Zafis in Rexdale, Ontario and was found not criminally responsible by reason of schizophrenia in 2023. tags: - Person - O9A - NeoNazi - Accelerationism - Canada - FederalCase - TerroristConviction - MentalHealthDefense updated: 2026-05-21 --- [Guilherme Von Neutegem](/people/guilherme-von-neutegem/) fatally stabbed Mohamed-Aslim Zafis (58) outside the International Muslim Organization mosque in Rexdale, Ontario on September 12, 2020. Zafis was a caretaker at the mosque who was sitting outside when Von Neutegem approached and attacked him. Investigators subsequently documented that Von Neutegem was an adherent of the [Order of Nine Angles](/organizations/order-of-nine-angles/) (O9A), finding an altar featuring an O9A symbol in his home, O9A-related social media posts, and a YouTube video in which he discussed O9A philosophy. He was charged with first-degree murder on September 18, 2020. In March 2023 an Ontario court found him Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) due to schizophrenia, and his case was referred to the Ontario Review Board.[^1] ### The Attack Von Neutegem approached Zafis outside the International Muslim Organization mosque in the Rexdale neighborhood of northwestern Toronto on the evening of September 12, 2020 and stabbed him. Zafis died of his injuries. Von Neutegem was apprehended in connection with the killing and formally charged on September 18, 2020 with first-degree murder and carrying a concealed weapon. The attack occurred amid the early COVID-19 period, when mosque activity was restricted and Zafis was sitting outside. Toronto Police Service investigated the killing as a hate crime given the target location and the perpetrator's documented beliefs.[^2] ### O9A Affiliation Post-arrest investigation revealed substantial evidence of O9A ideology in Von Neutegem's environment. His residence contained an altar bearing an O9A symbol. His social media accounts contained O9A-related content. A YouTube video recovered by investigators showed him discussing O9A philosophy. O9A, known formally as the Order of Nine Angles, is a British-origin occult neo-Nazi organization that frames ritual violence against outgroup members as a path toward personal "sinister" development, providing an ideological framework in which a lone attack on a mosque caretaker fits within the network's prescriptive model.[^3] The Zafis killing was one of several O9A-linked attacks documented in North America and Europe in the 2019-2021 period, alongside the AWD-O9A overlap cases and Feuerkrieg Division prosecutions. O9A's particular influence on accelerationist lone-actor violence lies in its combination of esoteric philosophy with explicit operational encouragement for what the organization calls "insight roles," activities including criminal violence intended to test and harden the practitioner. ### NCR Finding and Ontario Review Board Von Neutegem's trial proceeded to a finding on criminal responsibility rather than guilt. In March 2023 the Ontario court entered a finding of Not Criminally Responsible by reason of mental disorder (schizophrenia), the Canadian equivalent of a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. Under Canadian law an NCR finding does not result in an acquittal but in a referral to a provincial review board that manages ongoing detention and treatment. His case was referred to the Ontario Review Board, which has authority to order continued detention in a psychiatric facility, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge based on ongoing assessments of risk to public safety. The NCR finding means Von Neutegem was not convicted of murder and faces no penal sentence, but remains subject to Ontario Review Board supervision for an indefinite period.[^4] [^1]: Toronto Star. "Toronto man charged with first-degree murder after caretaker fatally stabbed outside northwest Toronto mosque." September 18, 2020; CBC News. "Man found not criminally responsible in 2020 stabbing death at Toronto mosque." March 2023. [^2]: Toronto Police Service. Homicide Investigation, Case 20-427982. September 2020. [^3]: VICE News. "Inside the 'Sinister' Far-Right Sect Linked to a Murder at a Toronto Mosque." 2020. https://www.vice.com/en/article/order-of-nine-angles-toronto-mosque-murder/; CTC West Point. "The Iron March Forum and the Evolution of the Skull Mask Neo-Fascist Network." https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-iron-march-forum-and-the-evolution-of-the-skull-mask-neo-fascist-network/ [^4]: CBC News. "Man found not criminally responsible in 2020 stabbing death at Toronto mosque." March 2023; Criminal Code of Canada, s. 672.54 (disposition of NCR accused by Review Board).