Man accused of breaking into downtown Montreal mosque hit with additional charges
Man arrested now charged with assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and mischief
A 32-year-old man who was arrested following a break-in at a downtown Montreal mosque that was caught on video has appeared in court and is now charged with assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and mischief.
At first, he was only charged with mischief.
The incident took place last Sunday at the Al-Omah Al-Islamiah mosque on Saint-Dominique Street. The Canadian Muslim Forum shared videos of the incident online.
The videos appear to show someone at around 5 a.m. using a rock to break into the mosque and into the prayer room. The videos also appear to show the perpetrator attempting to hit and narrowly missing a worshipper before smashing into the building.
No one was injured.
Muslim leaders criticized the police response to the incident, as a spokesperson for the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) initially said investigators didn't believe the incident was a hate crime.
The SPVM later said that its hate crime unit was investigating the case "given that the event happened in a place of worship."
The 32-year-old suspect is expected back in court on Thursday.
With files from The Canadian Press and Radio-Canada