Jew's killing shocks Toronto

Prime Minister Jean Chretien condemned the 'display of intolerance'

Toronto police have arrested two people in the killing of an Orthodox Jewish man that has been condemned by the Canadian government and Jewish groups as a hate crime.

But police say investigators have not yet determined for certain that the man, who was stabbed outside a kosher pizza parlour in a Jewish neighbourhood, was targeted because of his religion.

Daniel Rosenzweig, a father of six, was wearing a skull cap when he was attacked early on Sunday, his 49th birthday.

Witnesses said his attacker had a shaved head, a style affected by some racist groups.

Peres' condolences

Late on Monday night, Toronto police raided a house and made several arrests, including a man - 20-year-old Christopher Steven McBride - who they say is the main suspect.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien condemned the killing, saying that "such displays of intolerance and hate offend the values we believe in as Canadians".

The pizzeria outside which the father of six was stabbed to death

Rosenzweig's death made headlines across the country, as well as in Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres phoned to offer condolences to the family.

But police say they do not have any evidence yet to suggest that it was a crime motivated by racism.

"The evidence available to us ... does not support this occurrence being categorised as a hate motivated crime," Staff-Inspector Bob Clarke said.

Witnesses say two men and one woman entered the pizza parlour and harassed some customers before leaving after an altercation with an employee.

Once outside on the street, one of the men then plunged a 30-centimetre knife into Rosenzweig's back.

While both of the men were described as having shaved heads, the woman was described as black, with dreadlocks, a fact that police say does not fit the profile of a hate crime.