Canada: Attempted Break-In at Winnipeg Mosque Raises Concerns Among Muslims
The incident occurred early Tuesday morning and has left the local Muslim community deeply concerned.
Shaqir Shaikh, a volunteer cleaner at the community centre, reported hearing a loud noise around 4 a.m. Upon investigating, he encountered two individuals, one wielding an axe and the other a knife. Shaikh immediately alerted the authorities by dialing the emergency number, 911.
By the time the police arrived, the suspects had already fled the scene. The ongoing investigation by the Winnipeg Police is still in its early stages, but it has been confirmed that no one was injured and nothing was stolen during the incident, CBC News reported.
Adnan Siddiqui, the director of the mosque, expressed the community’s distress over the incident. "People are really [scared], and they're, like, praying at home," he said.
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Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), urged the community to refrain from speculating about the motives behind the attack. "At this point, while we encourage Winnipeg Police to continue all angles of the investigations including as to whether this was potentially hate-motivated, we encourage our community not to speculate on the motivation of the attackers,” he stated in an Instagram post.
In response to the incident, the mosque has taken measures to enhance security, including the replacement of the damaged door and the hiring of round-the-clock security personnel.
The police are appealing to anyone with video surveillance or additional information to come forward to assist in the investigation.
Source: Agencies
