A man who allegedly attacked worshippers at a Mississauga mosque last year has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges "that also constitute terrorist activity."
On March 19, 2022, Peel Regional Police responded to the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre in the area of McAdam Road and Matheson Boulevard just before 7 a.m., after receiving many emergency calls from members of the mosque.
Officers said a man walked into the mosque and allegedly discharged bear spray towards worshippers, while also wielding a hatchet. The man was subdued by congregants until officers arrived, and police said some of them sustained minor injuries due to the bear spray.
Mohammad Moiz Omar, of Mississauga, was brought into custody and charged with several criminal offences, including assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public, and mischief to religious property and uttering a threat to cause death or bodily harm.
Months following the incident, in June, police said the offences Omar has been charged with constitute terrorist activity under the Criminal Code.
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) and Attorney General of Canada agreed to terrorism proceedings in the case.
On July 19, the PPSC announced Omar plead guilty to three criminal charges in the Ontario Superior Court, including administering a noxious thing (bear spray) with intent to danger life or cause bodily harm, assault with a weapon (hatchet) and mischief to religious property with the motivation of bias, prejudice, or hate based on religion.
Omar admitted he walked into the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre that day with the intent to kill the worshippers praying inside, PPSC said.
“Mr. Omar was motivated by a hateful ideology, and the attack was aimed at intimidating a segment of the public (Muslim Canadians),” PPSC said in a statement.
After interviewing Omar and searching through his computer, PPSC said he planned the attack for a year, including other ways to carry it out. He apparently tried to obtain a firearm, but PPSC said he was unsuccessful.
“After his arrest, he made statements to the police expressing his hatred for Muslims, and his disappointment at having failed to inflict any real harm on the victims,” PPSC said.
The incident happened less than a year after four members of the Afzaal family were struck and killed by a vehicle in London, Ont. while out for a walk, in an apparently deliberate attack.
“We are a multicultural society where everyone must be free and feel secure in exercising all of their rights, including the right to gather and pray. As with all terrorist activities, an attack on some Canadians is an attack on all Canadians and their sense of security,” George Dolhai, Deputiy Director of Public Prosecutions, said in a statement.
With files from Miriam Katawazi and The Canadian Press
