Police investigate Winnipeg mosque incident

Winnipeg police are investigating after someone made “hateful and threatening comments” to children outside a city mosque, its president says.

The incident took place Saturday, said Kadar Ahmed, president of the Winnipeg Islamic Centre Masjid Bilal.

“The individual made hateful and threatening comments, frightening the children present,” the centre said in a Facebook post.

“Police responded to the incident and advised staff that an individual had been detained.”

The Winnipeg Police Service offered no further details Monday other than to say more information was expected to be released Tuesday.

“Because the police investigation is ongoing and children are involved, we are being careful not to provide details that could interfere with the investigation or identify the young people affected,” Ahmed said in an email.

Other Islamic centres in the city, including the Rahma Islamic Centre, offered support following the incident.

The Watt Street gathering place was subject to violence — a driveby shooting and broken windows — in late July.

No one was injured, but the incident left the community shocked and drew condemnation from political leaders. The WPS hate crime unit is investigating.

Hakim Ghulam, board chair of the Islamic Association of Manitoba, called the Saturday incident “deeply disturbing.”

Speaking to young community members Monday, he said many are wondering “why these events are happening so often now in our city?”

Ghulam stressed the community stands in solidarity not only with the Masjid Bilal and Rahma Centres, but with all affected by hate.

“We condemn any attack on any temple, any synagogue, any mosque, any church,” he said. “People come here to worship, to seek peace. To meet and greet one another. They don’t come here to come across this kind of incident.”

City police are ramping up their presence outside places of worship in the aftermath of a shooting outside a Belleville, Ont., synagogue Sunday night.

“As a precaution, the WPS will be increasing our presence at gathering spaces and places of worship throughout Winnipeg to provide community reassurance,” the WPS said in a social media post Monday.

A shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue injured a police officer and another man.

“Our thoughts are with the Jewish community across Canada during this time, as well as with the officer in Belleville who remains in hospital,” the post said.

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca