AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The York Regional Police in Ontario, Canada, have arrested a man in Toronto on charges of assault causing bodily harm and uttering death threats following a violent Islamophobic attack on a Muslim hotel employee in the city of Markham.
According to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the assailant reportedly asked the hotel employee about his ethnic and religious background. When the employee said he was Muslim, the suspect launched a brutal assault, leaving the victim severely injured. The NCCM described the victim’s condition as “horrific and life-altering.”
Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia, condemned the assault as “utterly horrific and cruel,” saying the Muslim man was “beaten so severely that he may never fully recover.” In a post on social media, she stressed that “Canadian Muslims, like all Canadians, deserve to feel safe. Islamophobia remains a serious threat to our country and must be confronted.”
Police said officers were called to the scene around 3 a.m. after receiving reports of an altercation. They found a 54-year-old hotel employee suffering from serious head injuries. A 31-year-old suspect was arrested nearby.
According to a police statement, the investigation revealed that the incident began when the suspect’s credit card was declined while paying for a room. After learning that the employee was Muslim, the suspect’s behavior changed; he allegedly threatened to kill the victim before attacking him violently in one of the hotel rooms.
**************
End/ 345
