PETERBOROUGH, Ontario — Police say a mosque in Peterborough, Ontario, was deliberately set ablaze, but they are still looking into the motive and searching for suspects.
Police said Sunday it was unclear whether the fire was connected to the attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead.
The mosque was set ablaze at 11 p.m. Saturday, about a half hour after members of Kawartha Muslim Religious Association were in the building celebrating the birth of a baby, the association’s president Kenzu Abdella said.
No one was injured in the fire but the building has been rendered unusable, Abdella said.
The previous building that housed the community was vandalized once before shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, Abdella said.
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Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett issued a statement condemning the fire.
“Attacking a place of worship is a despicable act,” the statement said. “Masjid Al-Salaam, the name of the mosque, means mosque of peace.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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