Worshippers at dawn prayer in a suburb of Toronto tackle and subdue a 24-year-old man who allegedly entered their mosque and attacked people with bear spray, according to local police.
Peel Regional Police say the man walked into the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, and allegedly “discharged bear spray towards people in the mosque while brandishing a hatchet” just before 7 a.m.
Speaking on behalf of the mosque, Nadia Hasan of the National Council of Canadian Muslims says a group of about 20 men were praying when the man sprayed them.
“Some of the men turned around and they very bravely decided that they were not going to let him attack them,” she says. “They tackled him to the ground and apprehended him until the police showed up.”
Mohammad Moiz Omar of Mississauga has been arrested. Police say they’re considering “all possible motivations” for the incident, and charges are pending.
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