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Some members of Ottawa's Iranian community accuse the government of Iran of meddling in the investigation into the slaying of Yazdan Ghiasi, 16, a week ago.
The teen — who is of Iranian descent — was shot and killed and his body dumped in downtown Ottawa last Monday morning.
The government of Iran claims the homicide shows Canada is dangerous country.
Narges Ghaffari, the host of a weekly radio show aimed at the city's Iranian community, said some of her listeners are concerned that the killing is being used by the Iranian government to score political points against its critics.
"They want to use this as a weapon to attack Canada," she said.
According to a news release, the Iranian government is questioning the professionalism of the Ottawa police investigation and is warning Iranians against making unnecessary trips to Canada, implying their safety is at risk.
"They want to scare people not to come to Canada — not to come and see family here. They don't want people to have a connection inside Iran with people outside Iran," said Ghaffari.
The controversy has been building ever since last week's memorial for Ghiasi.
Some of the mourners were surprised and upset when an Iranian Embassy official showed up and, according to people who listened to him speak in Farsi, made political statements.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the Ghiasi family said they had no wish to get involved in political battles while they grieve for their son. But the spokesperson added that the family has confidence in both the Ottawa police and the Canadian justice system.
What is fuelling the controversy may be that Canada and Iran frequently clash over issues ranging from nuclear weapons to human rights.
The Iranian community in Ottawa also often holds protests outside the Iranian Embassy.
Several calls by CBC News to the embassy were not returned.
