Toronto: After what they described as a "hate-motivated incident" at a mosque in the Canadian province of Ontario on Thursday, where a male suspect allegedly drove towards a worshipper and yelled threats and religious slurs, police said on Sunday that they had arrested and charged the suspect.
The incident happened in Markham, but the suspect, Sharan Karunakaran, 28, was later detained in Toronto, according to a statement from the York Regional Police. Mary Ng, the minister of trade for Canada, denounced the incident as a hate crime and said it had no place in Canadian society.
The Islamic Society of Markham (ISM) reported that on Thursday, a person entered the mosque in Markham, which is located 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) north of Toronto, and appeared to have torn a copy of the Qur'an while yelling at worshippers. The torn Qur'an was not mentioned in the police statement that was made public on Sunday.
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The incident occurs during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, when mosques are packed with worshippers. Numerous individuals frequent the mosque in Markham.
Police added that they had accused the suspect of threatening behaviour, armed assault, and reckless driving. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket.
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The local member of parliament for Canada's trade minister responded to the incident by saying, "This violence and Islamophobia has no place in our communities."
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