2 men stabbed during prayers at Sikh temple in north Edmonton

Two men were stabbed during a gathering at a large Sikh temple on the northeastern outskirts of Edmonton by a man police said has a history of violent offences and had just been released from prison.

The attack happened Friday morning at the Nanaksar gurdwara — a large, white, ornate Sikh temple along Manning Drive between Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan.

A man entered the temple and began attacking members of the sangat (the Sikh term for congregation) during morning prayers that were happening ahead of a wedding, temple leadership told Global News. They said he was a white male.

“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,” said Harmeek Sehgal, a representative from the Nanaksar gurdwara.

The prayer leaders tried to talk to the man, but Sehgal said it didn’t go well.

“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.”

A 75-year-old man and 51-year-old man stabbed during the confrontation, the temple’s leadership said, adding they’re believed to be in stable condition.

“The last I heard, they both were talking,” Sehgal said. “The people who were doing the prayers, most of them are elderly, right? So that’s why it took them a group of them, I guess, to subdue him.”

While the two men were injured while trying to diffuse the situation, Sehgal said nothing inside the temple was damaged.

“Luckily no property or physical damage — like specifically to our Sikh scriptures, which are quite sacred to us.”

Police confirmed EMS responded and treated two adult males on scene for non-life-threatening injuries.

Those gathered for the wedding were allowed to begin going back inside the gurdwara around 10:30 a.m. and the wedding proceeded as planned, but the morning’s events cast a pall over the day.

“It was supposed be a joyous occasion, yet here we are having to talk about two people who were seriously injured,” Harman Kandola with the World Sikh Organization of Canada said outside the building on Friday.

The attack has left the community shocked and seeking answers.

“First thing that comes to mind right away (is),’Was this a hate crime? Was this an isolated incident?'” Sehgal said.

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

The temple is always open to anyone to visit, members said, which is how the suspect was able to walk in and enter the prayer hall.

“A gurdwara is a space that anybody is welcome. The door is always open for people to come in, enjoy a free meal. Be able to participate and be connected to congregation. There is no checks on who you are and what your background is and what faith you belong to,” Kandola said.

“For that sacred space to be violated by somebody whose intention was to hurt and to inflict some damage is extremely disappointing.”

The Edmonton Police Service said officers responded just after 5 a.m. to the stabbing at the gurdwara near 14 Street and Horsehill Road, where officers arrested a man.

Forensics crews and detectives arrived after that to collect evidence and speak to witnesses.

EPS is holding a news conference Friday afternoon to share more information.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) also issued a statement Friday, saying the incident comes at an alarming time for Sikhs in Alberta.

The WSO said the Calgary Police Service is investigating threatening calls made to two gurdwaras this week, which reportedly included calls to demolish Sikh places of worship. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas condemned the threats.

Earlier this month in Edmonton, the WSO said a Sikh truck driver reported being subjected to comments about his religious identity before being assaulted at a Walmart. Global News is seeking to confirm the details of that incident with police.

The organization also pointed to the March death of 22-year-old Birinder Singh, who was shot while driving south on the QEII near Leduc.

While RCMP said there was no evidence the shooting was motivated by hate or racial bias, the WSO said it caused significant alarm within Alberta’s Sikh community.