A young man who stormed into a mosque discharging bear spray and carrying a hatchet Saturday morning near Toronto was subdued by worshipers.
Mohammad Moiz Omar, 24, was arrested around 7 a.m. at Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, police said. The incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Omar entered the building during morning prayers and immediately started spraying the bear spray, according to police. He was holding a hatchet and “other sharp edged weapons,” the mosque said in a Facebook post.
“Before he could inflict harm on any worshipers, several congregants bravely were able to stop him in his tracks,” according to the post. They held Omar until the cops arrived.
The only injuries were from the bear spray. Police said they are “considering all possible motivations, including hate motivation” for the attack. They said it was an isolated incident.
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