Man charged with hate-motivated incident at Greater Toronto Area mosque

A Toronto resident has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged hate-motivated incident at a mosque in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA. The accused was identified on Sunday as 28-year-old Sharan Karunakaran.

According to a statement from York Regional Police or YRP, on April 6, around 6.55am, officers responded to a call related to a “disturbance at a mosque” in Markham, a town in the GTA.

“Witnesses reported that a male suspect had attended in a vehicle and drove directly at one of the worshippers and yelled threats and religious slurs. The suspect drove dangerously in the parking lot before leaving the property,” the statement said.

Members of the YRP’s Hate Crime Unit “attended the mosque to offer support to its members”, it added.

He was identified and a warrant for his arrest was issued while efforts were made to locate him. Shortly after midnight, on April 7, members of YRP arrested the suspect in Toronto.

Karunakaran has been charged with uttering threats, assault with a weapon, and dangerous driving.

He has been held for a bail hearing and his next scheduled appearance is at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in the town of Newmarket on April 11. “Investigators are concerned there may be other victims and police encourage them to come forward,” the statement said.

In a statement on Sunday, Canada’s housing and diversity and inclusion minister Ahmed Hussen said he was “deeply saddened” by the hate-motivated attack outside of the Islamic Society of Markham on April 6, “during the holy month of Ramadan.”

“The rise of Islamophobia-motivated attacks is deeply concerning & we must stand up against it. We will not let hate win.”

Mary Ng, another Canadian minister, also condemned the incident, tweeting, “During Ramadan, mosques are places of community and peace - and everyone should feel safe in their place of worship. This violence and Islamophobia has no place in our communities or in Canada.”