MISSISSAUGA, Canada (AP) — Faithful participating in a morning prayer in a Toronto suburb shot down and subjugated a 24-year-old man who allegedly entered their mosque and assaulted several people with tear gas on Saturday, according to local authorities.
The Peel Regional Police indicated that the man entered the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, and reportedly “threw tear gas at people in the mosque and swung an axe” shortly before 7:00 in the morning.
Speaking on behalf of the mosque, Nadia Hasan, of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said that a group of approximately 20 men were praying when the man sprayed them.
“Some of the men turned around and very bravely decided that they would not allow him to attack them,” he added.” They knocked him to the ground and apprehended him until the police arrived.”
Police arrested Mohammad Moiz Omar, from Mississauga, saying they consider “every possible reason” for the incident. No charges are being filed yet.
The police indicated that some faithful suffered minor injuries as a result of tear gas.
“People are obviously upset and recovering,” Hasan said. “For the most part, they continue to process what happened and try to see what they can do to ensure that their communities remain safe.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau condemned the attack, which he called in a tweet “incredibly disturbing.”
“I strongly condemn this act of violence... which has no place in Canada,” Trudeau said.