Leaders at a mosque in Winnipeg say shots were fired at the building while community members were gathered inside on Wednesday evening, calling the incident a “disturbing attack.”
Winnipeg’s Rahma Islamic Centre alleges two individuals fired shots at the mosque before breaking the building’s glass “with another weapon.”
“Thankfully, they were unable to enter the premises, and no one was injured,” the mosque said in a social media post.
Damage to the glass of the centre’s windows and door could be seen Thursday afternoon.
Winnipeg police tell CityNews they received a report of damage to property around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Multiple windows were shattered with damages estimated at over $3,000,” WPS Const. Claude Chancy said.
The Rahma Islamic Centre also alleges the same individuals shouted racial slurs at people gathered at the centre earlier in the day.
“This attack has deeply shaken our volunteers, community, children, and staff. Our centre exists to provide a place of community, belonging, and peace. To have that sense of safety violated by what appear to be deliberate acts of violence is profoundly disturbing.”
Winnipeg police confirm they received an earlier report about a vehicle driving by the centre “while shouting racially derogatory names at patrons.”
The WPS major crimes unit’s hate crime coordinators will be investigating.
No suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made, police add.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) says there is security footage of the incident.
“This is yet another example of almost daily violent Islamophobic attacks for the past few weeks across Canada,” the Muslim civil liberties group wrote in a brief news release.
–With files from Sofia Frolova
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