Two men were injured at the Nanaksar Gurdwara temple in Canada’s Edmonton on Friday morning (local time) after a man armed with a screwdriver entered the Sikh place of worship and interrupted morning prayers, police said.
The incident took place at around 5 amย at the sprawling Nanaksar Gurdwara complex in northeast Edmonton. A 27-year-old man was taken into custody following the stabbing, CBC news reported.
Edmonton Police Service (EPS) Acting Inspector Eric Stewart said during a news conference that police received a report of a man walking in traffic shortly before officers were called to the temple. The suspect then entered the gurdwara and attempted to access the prayer room before allegedly stabbing two men.
โQuick acting witnessesโ intervened and detained the man until police arrived, Stewart said. The victims, aged 75 and 51, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was also injured and transported to hospital.
Police have not disclosed a possible motive for the attack. Stewart said the EPS Hate Crimes unit is investigating whether the incident was motivated by hate.
PM Mark Carney appalled by incident
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack at the Nanaksar Gurdwara in Edmonton, calling it โappallingโ and expressing solidarity with the two people injured and the wider community affected by the incident.
Carney said no one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship and thanked the Edmonton Police Service for its swift response.
Suspect had history of violence
Stewart said charges are pending against the suspect, who is known to police and has a significant history of violence. Police learned that he had been released from a federal institution on Thursday after serving a sentence for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer.
The suspect was required to report to a designated halfway house in Edmonton but had failed to do so. Police are now investigating how he came to be near the temple instead of being at his designated accommodation.
Stewart said determining how the suspect reached the area and why he was not at the halfway house will form part of the ongoing investigation.
Police have not released the suspect’s name as charges have not yet been laid.
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