‘Deeply Disturbing’: Muslim Family Speaks Out After Threats to Blow Up Their Home
York Regional Police said they were alerted to the hate-motivated incident earlier this month. A 54-year-old man from Newmarket was arrested on Sept. 5 and charged with two counts of uttering threats.
At a news conference, Steven Zhou of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said the suspect, an HVAC technician, allegedly spoke of using his skills to tamper with gas lines and kill a Muslim family he had known for 14 years.
Zhou added that the man had also allegedly planned to attack the local mosque, CBC News reported on Monday.
Police said the threats were made on Sept. 1 and reported to them two days later. Investigators confirmed the case is being treated as a hate crime.
Read More:
Zhou told reporters the suspect had confided in another neighbour about his alleged plans, which were then passed on to police. He also said the man consumed large amounts of Islamophobic material online.
In a statement read at the news conference, the father of the targeted family said they are struggling to cope with the knowledge that someone so close to them had allegedly planned such violence.
“The thought that someone living so close to us, within our own community, was consuming and sharing far-right, anti-Muslim content and beliefs while planning violent attacks is deeply disturbing and unsettling,” the statement read.
The mosque allegedly targeted also issued a statement, calling the situation “truly sobering and difficult.” It emphasized that a place meant for worship and reflection could have been turned into a site of tragedy.
Read More:
Omar Khamissa, NCCM’s chief mobilization officer, urged authorities to act on recommendations from a federal study on Islamophobia, which include strengthening protections for mosques and other religious spaces. “Do we have to wait for more bloodshed before action is actually taken?” he asked.
York police Insp. Stu Garner confirmed that the alleged threats against the mosque and family are central to the investigation but declined to provide more details to protect its integrity.
Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said he met with the affected family and described the impact on them as “deeply disturbing.”
Source: Agencies
