Canada gurdwara stabbing: 2 injured, history sheeter arrested day after jail release; hate angled probed

Toronto: A 27-year-old history sheeter was arrested by police after he allegedly stabbed two persons, including a priest, at a gurdwara in Edmonton, Canada’s Alberta province in the early hours of Friday.

The incident occurred just before 5am, when the suspect, a male “entered the gurdwara and attempted to access the prayer area when he was confronted by staff”, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said in a statement. “The confrontation then escalated and two male patrons of the gurdwara were stabbed. Witnesses intervened and detained the man until Northeast Branch patrol officers arrived at 5:10am and immediately took him into custody,” the release added.

The suspect, according to Canadian media reports, had been released from a Federal prison on Thursday after serving a sentence for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer. The assailant, believed to be Caucasian, used a screwdriver for the alleged stabbings.

The victims, males aged 75 and 51 were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Gurdwara president Zora Singh Grewal told the Hindustan Times the victims were a granthi or priest and a sewadar or volunteer.

He said they were shocked at the attack. “Our temple is peaceful all the time. We never had a problem, but all of a sudden this person came in,” he said.

He said others at the gurdwara prevented the attacker from causing damage to the Guru Granth Sahib, the holiest scripture in Sikhism, and subdued him before handing him over to the police who were already looking for him as he had earlier threatened drivers on a highway.

EPS’ Investigative Response Team assumed of the investigation and was working closely with its Hate Crimes Unit to determine if this incident was hate motivated. Charges were pending against the suspect, who has yet to be named.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his outrage over the attack on the gurdwara. In a social media post, he described it as “appalling”. “My thoughts are with the two people who were injured and the wider community that is shaken by this terrible event. No one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship,” he added.

Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta and its Premier (equivalent of a Chief Minister in India) Danielle Smith said, also in a social media post, “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities and places of worship, and we will continue to defend that right. We stand with the entire Sikh community across our province against recent acts of despicable violence over the last few days.”

Referring to the attacker’s criminal background, she added, “Today’s attack once again affirms why the federal government must take bail and parole reform seriously. Violent repeat offenders must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and kept behind bars. Full stop.”

As anti-immigration sentiment has risen in Canada, it has mainly impacted Indians, who form the largest immigrant group in recent years. And Sikhs have borne the brunt of the negativity given they were the most visible of Indian-origin immigrants to Canada.

Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author.