Worshippers In A Mosque In Canada Stop An Axe-Wielding Assailant
During Saturday morning prayers, worshippers at a mosque in Canada stopped and held a guy who was allegedly carrying an axe and attacking them with bear spray, according to police.
According to local media, one worshipper knocked the axe from the man's hands and held him down until police came.
A 24-year-old male was apprehended at the site in the Mississauga area, and he was later charged.
The bear spray caused minor injuries to some worshipers, according to the mosque's imam.
One of the worshippers described the incident as "terrifying," describing hearing a scream before turning around to see a man wielding an axe and spraying three people with bear spray, which is comparable to pepper spray.
"By the time he started spraying, the people in the front row had realized something was wrong, and one of the young men came around and knocked the axe away before he could use it," Noorani Sairally told The Globe and Mail in Canada.
According to the witness, the young man then held the alleged assailant down until police came.
"Several congregants valiantly stopped him in his tracks before he could inflict harm on any worshippers," imam Ibrahim Hindy said in a statement, recalling the moment the gunman entered the premises.
He went on to say, "Our community will never be broken, and we refuse to be intimidated."
Mohammad Moiz Omar, the guy apprehended, has been charged with six counts of assault with a weapon and giving a noxious drug with the purpose to endanger life or inflict bodily damage.
Investigators now believe the attack was a "hate-motivated incident," after first being unsure of a probable reason.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was one of several high-profile Canadian public figures to denounce the attack, which he called "very troubling" and praised the mosque's members for their bravery.