Two injured in gurdwara stabbing in Canada's Edmonton, accused held; PM Carney expresses shock

Two people were injured in a stabbing attack at a gurdwara in Edmonton, Canada. The accused has been arrested but is yet to be identified.

The knife attack took place at Nanaksar Gurdwara around 5 am local time (12:00 BST) on Friday morning when a man entered the premises and tried to access the prayer area, BBC reported, citing police.

On being prevented from entering the prayer area by two male patrons of the Gurdwara, the man stabbed them. The victims are aged 75 and 51, respectively, and suffered minor injuries but are in stable condition.

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The 27-year-old accused was released from a federal institution on August 20, where he was serving a sentence for an aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer, Acting Inspector Eric Stewart of Edmonton Police Service said in a press briefing.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed shock as he reacted to the knife attack in the Gurdwara premises. "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," he wrote in a post on X.

Carney further said no person should feel unsafe in their place of worship. "I want to thank the Edmonton Police Service for their swift response," he said.

The attack comes a week after police confirmed that they were looking into threat calls made to two Sikh gurdwaras in Calgary, which is located two hours south of Nanaksar Gurdwara.

Akanksha Verma is an Associate Editor at the Hindustan Times in New Delhi. With an experience of over a decade, she has led newsrooms operations and worked on digital content strategies. She is adept at covering breaking news situations and holds expertise in doing long-form explainers on national, political and geopolitical issues. Akanksha has previously worked with The Times Of India, Indian Express Online, News18.com, India Ahead and The Daily Jagran. She has written on key national and global events, including the Lok Sabha Elections, Assembly Elections, US Elections, US-Iran war, Operation Sindoor, Israel-Palestine conflict, Afghanistan conflict, Ram Temple verdict, Ladakh standoff, Abrogation of Article 370 and Demonetisation. She holds a BA (Hons) in English from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, and a Postgraduate Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal, Odisha. She is proficient in both English and Hindi and has earned a beginner-level certification in Korean. Beyond her newsroom responsibilities, Akanksha enjoys reading books that explore gender and social issues. She also turns to poetry as a creative outlet, writing verses whenever inspiration strikes. Read More