Two Injured In Stabbing At Gurdwara

EDMONTON-Two men were stabbed inside a gurdwara in Canada’s Alberta province after a man allegedly disrupted morning prayers ahead of a wedding ceremony, police and community representatives said.

The attack occurred at the Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple on the northeastern outskirts of Edmonton shortly after 5 a.m. The Edmonton Police Service said officers responding near 14 Street and Horsehill Road arrested a man at the scene. Emergency personnel treated two adult men whose injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

Police had not announced a motive for the attack or said whether it was being investigated as a hate-motivated crime.

Temple representative Harmeek Sehgal said the man entered the gurdwara and interrupted prayers being held before a wedding scheduled for later in the morning.

“He came in and caused a disruption — our morning prayers were interrupted and the guys who were doing the prayer noticed this guy. You know, doesn’t look like he’s a visitor,” Sehgal was quoted as saying by Global News.

Sehgal said those conducting the prayers initially tried to speak to the man, but he did not cooperate and resisted when they attempted to subdue him.

“The guy apparently wasn’t listening to anything. So they (tried) to subdue the guy. The guy tried to push back,” he said. “The guys were able to subdue him down, and the police was called at that time.”

Two men were stabbed during the confrontation. Sehgal said both victims were conscious after the attack.

“The last I heard, they both were talking,” he said.

Despite the violence, the wedding ceremony went ahead at the gurdwara at about 10.30 a.m. Sehgal said there was no damage to the Sikh scriptures, which are considered sacred, and that the community was waiting for investigators to establish what happened and why.

“The police will help determine that — everybody is anxious to figure out what happened and why it happened,” he said.

Harman Kandola, a spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, said the stabbing had overshadowed what should have been a celebratory gathering.

“It was supposed be a joyous occasion, yet here we are having to talk about two people who were seriously injured,” Kandola said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack, calling it “appalling” and expressing solidarity with the victims and Edmonton’s Sikh community.

In a post on X, Carney said: “The attack at the Nanaksar Gurdwara in Edmonton this morning is appalling. My thoughts are with the two people who were injured and the wider community that is shaken by this terrible event. No one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship. I want to thank the Edmonton Police Service for their swift response.” (IANS)