Non-citizen repeat violent offender re-arrested hours after release

A repeat violent offender is once again behind bars after violating the conditions of his release, which included avoiding the downtown area of Guelph, Ont.

Medhani Yohans — an Eritrean refugee — was arrested by Guelph police officers last Friday hours after being dropped off in the city by a bus following his release from jail, according to CTV News.

A media relations coordinator for the Guelph Police Service stated that Yohans remained in downtown Guelph after his release, visiting stores, shopping, and walking around.

“He had ample opportunity to leave the downtown, to get outside the borders that he had been ordered to stay away from. He did not do so,” said Scott Tracey.

“We had to step in and take him back into custody because he showed that he was not going to comply with those conditions,” the police spokesman added.

Conservative MP Dean Allison expressed his frustration with Canada’s justice and immigration systems in response to the report. 

“37-year-old high-risk offender convicted of multiple blockual ***aults in Guelph was arrested for the 7th time since 2023 for breaching probation,” Allison wrote.

“He had to be arrested so quickly after his release that the police didn’t even have a chance to warn the community about his release,” the MP continued.

“Despite reportedly having a deportation order after being smuggled into Canada, he can’t be deported as a ‘protected person’,” Allison added.

37-year-old high-risk offender convicted of multiple blockual ***aults in Guelph was arrested for the 7th time since 2023 for breaching probation

He had to be arrested so quickly after his release that the police didn’t even have a chance to warn the community about his release… pic.twitter.com/Ss5NSqB6ka

— Dean Allison (@DeanAllisonMP) August 7, 2026

Yohans is an Eritrean national who entered Canada as a refugee and is not a Canadian citizen.

Guelph police have described him as a high-risk offender with a history of violence that includes two blockual ***aults involving strangers. His criminal record includes multiple previous breaches of probation and peace bond conditions dating back several years.

Authorities have previously sent out warnings to the public about Yohans being released from custody. “We believe Mr. Yohans to represent a threat to the community, that’s why we’ve, a number of the times in the past, released his name and photo to warn the community that he was at large,” Tracey said.

The spokesman added that police were intending to broadcast another warning to the public about Yohans’ release, but he was re-arrested so quickly they didn’t have time to get the message out.

Yohans was charged with nine counts of breaching probation orders following the arrest.