A MAN armed with a hatchet and a spray used to repel bears attacked worshippers at a mosque in Canada yesterday, but no one was seriously hurt, said police.

The 24-year-old entered the mosque in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto, and sprayed people before being subdued by members of the congregation until police arrived and arrested him.

Some members of the congregation sustained minor injuries from the bear spray.

At this point, investigators think the incident was an isolated act and are considering hate as a possible motive, said police.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau put out a tweet condemning the assault as “incredibly disturbing”.

“I strongly condemn this violence – which has no place in Canada – and I am keeping the community in my thoughts today,” he wrote.

Other public figures joined in the chorus of condemnation, including the Toronto mayor and Ontario provincial prime minister.

Ibrahim Hindy, the imam of the mosque, praised the courage of the worshipers who subdued the attacker.

“Our community will never be broken and we refuse to be intimidated,” he tweeted.

In June in Ontario, a man driving a pick-up truck deliberately ran over a Canadian family of Pakistani origin, killing four people.

Police said it was a case of Islamophobia. – AFP, March 20, 2022.