A man armed with an axe and a canister of pepper spray attacked worshippers at a mosque in a suburb of Toronto on Saturday, leading to a "strong" condemnation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Local police stated that the 24-year-old man, who was arrested, entered the mosque in Mississauga, Ontario, east of Canada, and sprayed the worshippers before they were able to subdue him.
They noted that several worshippers sustained minor injuries from the pepper spray intended to deter bear attacks. Police estimated that the attack was an "individual act" while also suggesting it could be a "hate crime against Islam."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the "deeply troubling" attack via Twitter, stating, "I strongly condemn this violence that has no place in Canada," and praised the "courage" of those in the mosque. Numerous politicians, including the Mayor of Toronto and the Premier of the province, also condemned the attack on a place of worship.
The mosque's imam praised the response of the worshippers on social media. Ibrahim Hindi stated, "Before he could harm the worshippers, many of them bravely succeeded in restraining him." In June, a pickup truck driver deliberately killed a Muslim family in Ontario, an attack that shocked Canada and was labeled "terrorist" by Trudeau.
