A man entered a mosque in Mississauga, Ont., West of Toronto, on Saturday morning and attacked people who had gathered for fire, sunrise, with bear spray, the Peel Regional Police said, adding that the man also “broke a hatchet.”
Police were called to the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center, near McAdam Road and Matheson Boulevard East, around 7am.
Peel police say a 24-year-old man has been arrested, and investigators are “considering all possible motives, including hate speech.” Costs still need to be paid.
Some people have suffered “minor injuries” from the bear spray, according to a Peel police news mission.
Police say the incident “seems” isolated, but officials remain in the area for support and community calm.
Around 11 a.m., the mosque’s imam, Ibrahim Hindy, posted on Twitter about the attack.
Today at the Fajr (Twilight Prayer) at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center in Mississauga, our congregants were subjected to a violent attack.
An individual came with an ax and carried many other sharp-edged weapons, also as pepper spray. (1/3
& mdash;@ Hindy500
The man came in with an ax, pepper spray and other “sharp-edged weapons,” Hindy said.
“Some congressmen were able to encourage him and stop his tracks,” he said. “Our community will never be broken and we refuse to be intimidated.”
‘People are obviously quite excited’
Nadia Hasan, Chief Operating Officer of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said about 20 people were inside the mosque at the time.
“A number of men who were there for prayer approached [the armed man] and they arrested him until the police arrived, “she said.
Hasan said there were remnants of bear spray in the building, causing people to still cough on Saturday afternoon.
“People are obviously pretty excited and they are recovering,” she said.
“But I think for the most part, people are still processing what happened and trying to see a way in which they can ensure that their communities stay safe.”
Hasan said the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center will remain open on Saturday and police will be there for the “next time” to ensure that other prayer times can proceed safely.
She said the mosque is trying to provide bereavement counseling and other mental health care to help those affected and recover from what happened while police continue their investigation.
“They do not know what motivated this person to do what he did, but they obviously have a lot of questions about, you know, why did this happen, why did this happen to them, why this community in particular?” Hasan said.
The imam said the center will provide further comments when more information about the attack is available. He urged Peel police to “continue to investigate at every turn.”
Hasan repeated Hindy’s call, telling CBC News: “We look forward to hearing more about the motivation.”
PM calls incident ‘incredibly disturbing’
Prime Minister Doug Ford said on Twitter that there is no place in Ontario for “such evil and hateful acts.”
I am incredibly grateful for their heroism, and my heart goes out to the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center community who were attacked this morning.
There is NO place in our province for such evil and hateful acts. We must ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
& mdash;@fordnation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted on Saturday afternoon, describing the attack as “incredibly disturbing”.
The attack on congregants at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center is incredibly disturbing. I strongly condemn this violence – which has no place in Canada – and I keep the community in my thoughts today. I would also like to applaud the courage of those who were present this morning.
& mdash;@JustinTrudeau
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact investigators.
Add Comment