Peel police arrest man after worshippers attacked at Mississauga mosque

A man was arrested Saturday morning after entering a Mississauga mosque allegedly wielding a hatchet and unleashing bear spray at worshippers during the Fajr, or dawn prayer.

The attack took place at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre, near McAdam Road and Matheson Boulevard. Several congregants were able to stop the man and hold him until Peel police arrived at about 7 a.m. Worshippers received minor injuries due to the bear spray, police said in a press release.

It's one of those things that's left the community kind of just shocked, because it's just so outrageous and something unimaginable," Nadia Hasan, from the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told the Star over the phone.

A post on the mosque's Facebook post says in addition to the axe and bear spray, the assailant had numerous sharp edged weapons," but no one was seriously hurt.

Mohammad Moiz Omar, a 24-year-old man from Mississauga, was arrested and charges are pending. Peel police is considering all possible motivations for the act, including hate.

The centre is still open but bear spray is still lingering in the air, Hasan said.

I'm here right now and people are still coughing because it's kind of circulating through the ventilation," she said.

The investigation is ongoing and a spokesperson for the mosque said they are waiting on security footage. Police remain on scene and are providing extra security to offer the community reassurance.