A young man narrowly avoided being attacked by a person loitering near a mosque in Montreal at dawn on Sunday.
The suspect, a 32-year-old man, even went so far as to smash the windows of the glass doors to enter the place of worship, where he confronted several men.
The attack was caught by establishment surveillance cameras, a video of which TVA Nouvelles obtained a copy.
The attack took place at around 5:07 a.m. at the Al-Oumma Mosque in downtown Montreal at the intersection of Saint-Dominique and René-Lévesque.
A young man was on his way to morning prayers when the person approached him with a blunt object. The believers narrowly managed to enter the mosque, but the suspect began breaking the glass of a first door with a brick.
CCTV footage then shows him going inside, making sure to pull the hood back over his mouth. It’s in the entrance. He takes his brick and breaks down another glass door that gives him access to the place of prayer.
Arriving in front of several men, he turned to flee.
However, the windows are reinforced, double, for greater security. The individual still managed to smash them.
The police were called and arrived at the scene within a minute. The suspect was arrested at the scene before being released. He is expected to face misdemeanor charges over promising to appear.
According to people at the mosque, the police who showed up did not appear to have understood that the man had attempted to attack a person, considering the event a hate crime.
The attacker had been seen roaming the facility a few minutes earlier by the security manager, reinforcing the idea of a premeditated attack.
Hateful attack yesterday at Al Oumma Mosque in Montreal. I hope that this Islamophobic attack will be fully investigated @SPVM ! Believers should feel safe when they gather for prayer. #Polcan https://t.co/9cZYidgDIW
— Marc Miller (@MarcMillerVM) April 10, 2023
For its part, the SPVM is encouraging those who were there to speak to the police in order to expand the investigation. The SPVM Hate Crimes Unit is involved in the investigation and further charges could be brought.
The SPVM ensures that police will be vigilant in the area around places of worship.
The young adult who was the target of the attack was particularly frightened and has not been seen at the mosque since.
Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest Île-des-Sœurs federal MP Marc Miller responded on Twitter by calling the whole thing a hate attack.
“Yesterday a hateful attack was carried out at the Al Oumma Mosque in Montreal. I hope this Islamophobic attack will be fully investigated by the SPVM! Believers need to feel safe when they gather for prayer,” he said.
-Based on information provided by Kevin Crane-Desmarais