Three men have been injured after a 24-year-old man entered the Centre Culturel Musulman de Châteauguay — a mosque southwest of Montreal — armed with a knife on Friday afternoon.
Police in Châteauguay say the man entered the mosque on St-Jean Baptiste Blvd., where a physical altercation broke out with several individuals at around 1:40 p.m. but police wouldn’t confirm whether the knife was used to cause any of the injuries.
Three men in their 50s sustained minor injuries and one was transported to the hospital.
Authorities say the suspect was arrested on the spot.
Police add that the motive behind the incident remains unknown at this time.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) writing on X that they are aware of the incident.
“We are in touch with the local centre and will provide more information as it becomes available. However, we do not have information at this point to make a suggestion as to the motivation behind the incident, and we encourage our community not to speculate as the investigation continues.”
We are aware and greatly concerned after an incident at a Quebec Islamic centre where a suspect allegedly walked in with a knife and injured 3 congregants.
We are in touch with the local centre and will provide more information as it becomes available. However, we do not have… pic.twitter.com/aZvDNo99ZE
— NCCM (@nccm) September 20, 2024
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia, said the news was “very distressing.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims, hoping the injuries sustained are not serious and that their recovery will not be difficult,” she said on X.
More details to come.
—With files from The Canadian Press
