CBC News
A 24-year-old man has been arrested following an altercation at a Montreal-area mosque that left three people injured on Friday afternoon.
24-year-old man has been arrested, police say motive behind incident is unknown
The incident took place at around 1:40 p.m. in Châteauguay, Que., on Friday. (Paula Dayan Perez/CBC)
A 24-year-old man has been arrested following an altercation at a Montreal-area mosque that left three people injured on Friday afternoon.
Police in Châteauguay, Que., say the man with a knife entered the Centre Culturel Musulman de Châteauguay, located on St-Jean Baptiste Boulevard, when an altercation broke out with several individuals at around 1:40 p.m.
Police say it’s not yet clear if the knife was used during the altercation.
Rachid Azmane, the centre’s administrator, said he witnessed the situation unfold.
“There was a little bit of panic. Everyone was panicked, didn’t know what was going. Were there injuries? Was anyone stabbed?” he said while describing the incident’s aftermath.
“But no, the situation was brought under control.”
WATCH | Man arrested after altercation at Montreal-area mosque:
3 injured in altercation at Montreal-area mosqueA man has been arrested after an altercation at a Montreal-area mosque that left three people injured on Friday afternoon. Police in Châteauguay, Que., say the man entered the Centre Culturel Musulman de Châteauguay with a knife.
Azmane says he didn’t recognize the man when he entered the mosque. People inside the mosque noticed the man sitting down before he proceeded to change seats a few times, which struck Azmane as strange.
After noticing more strange behaviours, mosque leaders decided to delay the prayer while a few men approached the suspect and brought him to the centre’s basement to speak with him and find out what was going on, said Azmane.
He didn’t go downstairs. But he said he could see the interaction from where he was standing inside the mosque.
It was during that interaction that the men who approached the suspect realized he was concealing a knife.
“They tried to take control of the knife. A first man got injured, then a second, then a third,” said Azmane.
Immediately after, he called police. He says one man was injured because he grabbed the knife by its blade.
“The others [got injured] while they were trying to handle the man because he was a little agitated,” he said.
According to Const. Nadia Grondin, the three men sustained minor injuries. One was transported to the hospital.
All three victims are in their 50s. Azmane says they were worshippers and known to mosque administrators.
Police say the motive behind the incident remains unknown at this time.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on X that no one should feel afraid in their place of worship.
“While we wait for more information, my thoughts are with these individuals and the entire congregation who must be very shaken right now,” Trudeau wrote on Friday evening.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also posted on X, saying Canada’s places of faith should be where people feel safe. He said he and his wife, Anaida Poilievre, were thinking about the injured and wishing them a speedy recovery.
“My heart goes out to Châteauguay’s Centre Culturel Musulman reeling from a stabbing earlier today,” Poilievre wrote.
Police say the suspect is being questioned by investigators, and charges may be forthcoming. His court appearance would likely be Saturday.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cassandra Yanez-Leyton is a journalist for CBC News based in Montreal. You can email her story ideas at cassandra.yanez-leyton@cbc.ca.
With files from Radio-Canada and CBC’s Shuyee Lee
