Three injured at Quebec mosque were trying to disarm man carrying knife: official

The man entered the mosque before prayers and drew the attention of staff, who noticed he was acting 'a little bizarre,' says the mosque's administrator

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Published Sep 21, 2024  •  1 minute read

A Police officer outside the Centre Culturel Musulman in Chateauguay, Que., Friday Sept. 20, 2024. Three men have been injured after a 24-year-old man entered a mosque southwest of Montreal armed with a knife. Photo by Graham Hughes /The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — An official at a Montreal-area mosque where three people were injured on Friday afternoon says the victims were hurt while trying to disarm a 24-year-old man who entered the building armed with a knife.

Rachid Azmane, an administrator at the Muslim cultural centre in Chateauguay, Que., says the man entered the mosque before prayers and drew the attention of staff, who noticed he was acting “a little bizarre” and became alarmed when they saw he was carrying a knife.

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He says the three men who were hurt, all volunteers, sustained their injuries while trying to take the knife away “as a precaution.”

On Friday police in Chateauguay, southwest of Montreal, said the three men were in their 50s and suffered minor injuries, with one taken to hospital for wounds to his hand.

At the time, police did not say whether the knife was used to cause any of the injuries.

The suspect was taken to the police station on Friday afternoon, but investigators did not provide any details about a possible motive or whether charges are pending.

Chateauguay Police spokesman Marc-Olivier Chatelois said the suspect was known by worshippers at the mosque; but Azmane said he had no connection to the mosque itself.

Azmane said the interactions between the suspect and the injured men took place in the building’s basement, adding he did not witness what happened himself.

The suspect will appear in court Saturday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.

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