Muslim woman attacked in library by suspect who tried to set hijab on fire, Canadian police say
Officers from the Durham Regional Police responded to an assault call at the Ajax Public Library in Ontario, about 50 miles east of Toronto, at around 12 p.m.
"Officers spoke with the victim who advised she was in the library studying when she was approached by an unknown female," police said in a news release published Sunday. "The female began yelling profanities at the victim and throwing objects at her head."
Police did not clarify which profanities the suspect yelled at the victim.
Police said the suspect also tried to remove the victim's hijab, and poured "an unknown liquid on it," before grabbing a lighter and attempting to set the hijab on fire.
The victim screamed for help and the library's security intervened, according to police.
"The suspect fled the library but was located by officers a few hours later and taken into custody without incident," police said.
Kaley-Ann Freier, 25, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of failure to comply with a probation order, police said, adding that "she was held for a bail hearing."
It is not clear if Freier has an attorney at this time.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, police said, adding that 'investigators are required to consult with the Crown Attorney's office to determine whether the evidence meets the legal threshold for hate to be considered a factor.'
Durham Regional Police and the Crown Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to get in touch with their West Division Criminal Investigation Bureau.
In a news conference held Monday by members of Canada's Muslim community and local Ajax officials, a statement from the victim was read, according to CTV.
"I never imagined that a visit to my favorite, quiet corner of the library would turn into one of the most terrifying moments of my life,' the statement read. "I was simply going to study, as I had many times before, when I noticed a woman murmuring and cursing."
According to the statement, the woman attempted to ignore this before the suspect began throwing objects at her, and considered speaking to the librarian, but the "situation escalated" before she could.
'I can't stop thinking, 'What if the lighter had worked? What if my hijab had caught on fire?'" the statement read. The victim also shared in her statement that she has daughters who wear the hijab, and fears that this could happen to them has shaken her confidence in the safety of community spaces.
Canada is the leading country among G7 nations when it comes to Islamphobia-related deaths in the past seven years, according to Omar Khamissa, the National Council of Canadian Muslims chief operating officer, who spoke at the news conference Monday.
"What happened on Saturday could've easily increased that number," Khamissa said. "Canadians need to know this, they need to know this especially right now as we're in an election cycle."
Khamissa said he would like to see every party in Canada come up with a plan on how they will tackle Islamphobia and hate ahead of the upcoming elections, which have been moved from October to next month.
In a statement shared to his X account, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said what happened Saturday "is not an isolated incident."
"Islamophobia is real, it is dangerous, and it must stop," he wrote.
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh called the attack "horrifying."
"This hate-motivated attack is a reminder that divisive rhetoric is a stain on our country and not part of our Canadian values," he wrote on X.This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Britain urges police to release nationality of suspects in some crimes
Aug. 13 (UPI) -- New national guidance in Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The guidance said that there must be a policing reason to release the information, such as to combat disinformation or improve public safety. The move was in response to protests after two men were charged with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, outside of Birmingham, England. The two charged were reported to be Afghan asylum seekers. Warwickshire Police would not confirm the immigration status, which led Reform U.K. -- a right-wing populist party -- and its leader Nigel Farage to accuse the police of a cover-up. The police strongly denied this. Ahmad Mulakhil was charged with rape, and Mohammad Kabir has been charged with kidnapping and strangulation. Responding to protests last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged police to release the ethnicity, saying police should be more transparent. The National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing said they support the new initiative, but it has also drawn criticism from some anti-racist activists, who have said that it could risk making violence against women and girls an issue of ethnicity instead of misogyny. The Home Office will decide if it is "appropriate in all the circumstances" to confirm immigration status of a suspect, the guidance said. Policing Minister Diana Johnson told Sky News, "We welcome the guidance. We want to be as transparent and as open as possible with the public," including releasing ethnicity and nationality unless there is "good reason not to." Police didn't share basic facts about the "Southport killer" last summer, which led to "dangerous fictions," an independent watchdog said. The attack took the lives of three girls, ages 6,7 and 9, at a Taylor Swift-themed party. Ten others were also injured. Attorney Jonathan Hall said it would have been "far better" for police to share more accurate detail about the arrest of Axel Rudakubana, the man later convicted of the killings. Far-right agitators wrongly claimed that he was a Muslim asylum seeker. Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, NPCC spokesperson, told The Guardian, "We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain. "We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels. Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
3 days ago
- UPI
Britain urges police to release nationality of suspects in some crimes
New guidance in Great Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London is shown. File Photo by Mark Thomas/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- New national guidance in Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The guidance said that there must be a policing reason to release the information, such as to combat disinformation or improve public safety. The move was in response to protests after two men were charged with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, outside of Birmingham, England. The two charged were reported to be Afghan asylum seekers. Warwickshire Police would not confirm the immigration status, which led Reform U.K. -- a right-wing populist party -- and its leader Nigel Farage to accuse the police of a cover-up. The police strongly denied this. Ahmad Mulakhil was charged with rape, and Mohammad Kabir has been charged with kidnapping and strangulation. Responding to protests last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged police to release the ethnicity, saying police should be more transparent. The National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing said they support the new initiative, but it has also drawn criticism from some anti-racist activists, who have said that it could risk making violence against women and girls an issue of ethnicity instead of misogyny. The Home Office will decide if it is "appropriate in all the circumstances" to confirm immigration status of a suspect, the guidance said. Policing Minister Diana Johnson told Sky News, "We welcome the guidance. We want to be as transparent and as open as possible with the public," including releasing ethnicity and nationality unless there is "good reason not to." Police didn't share basic facts about the "Southport killer" last summer, which led to "dangerous fictions," an independent watchdog said. The attack took the lives of three girls, ages 6,7 and 9, at a Taylor Swift-themed party. Ten others were also injured. Attorney Jonathan Hall said it would have been "far better" for police to share more accurate detail about the arrest of Axel Rudakubana, the man later convicted of the killings. Far-right agitators wrongly claimed that he was a Muslim asylum seeker. Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, NPCC spokesperson, told The Guardian, "We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain. "We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels. Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest."
NBC News
3 days ago
- NBC News
Would-be assassin from Wisconsin convicted in U.K. over failed murder plot
A Wisconsin woman who spent five years on the run after being recruited by her "long-distance lover" to kill a man in the United Kingdom was found guilty Tuesday, British authorities said. Aimee Betro, 45, was convicted of conspiracy to murder and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence in the failed September 2019 murder plot. Authorities said a Derbyshire father, Mohammed Aslam, and his son, Mohammed Nazir, recruited Betro to kill a man they were feuding with. Betro tried to shoot the man's son outside of the family's Birmingham home, but her gun jammed, West Midlands police said in a news release. The son jumped back in his car and fled. He was not shot. She returned to the home hours later and fired three bullets through the bedroom windows. Following the shootings, Betro briefly returned to the United States before going on the run. She was arrested in Armenia last year, police said. "Only Betro knows what truly motivated her or what she sought to gain from becoming embroiled in a crime that meant she travelled hundreds of miles from Wisconsin to Birmingham to execute an attack on a man she did not know," Hannah Sidaway, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands, said in a statement. Betro arrived in the United Kingdom on Aug. 22, 2019, a little more than two weeks before the shooting. Authorities said she tried to pass herself off as a tourist, posting pictures and videos of landmarks, but 'her real purpose was to commit murder.' Police said she met up with Nazir, who allegedly recruited her to carry out the attack after meeting her on a dating app. According to prosecutors, Aslam and Nazir were feuding with a man following an altercation at the man's shop. The first shooting occurred Sept. 7, 2019. Police said security video showed the man's son getting out of his car as Betro approached. Prosecutors said she disguised herself with a niqab, a garment worn by Muslim women to cover their bodies and faces. 'Betro tried to kill a man in a Birmingham street at point-blank range," said Sidaway. "It is sheer luck that he managed to get away unscathed." She returned to the home early the next morning, firing shots through the windows. Authorities said Betro texted the victim's father after both shootings and said, 'Stop playing hide n seek. You're lucky it jammed. Who is it? Your family or you? Pick one.' Police also said they found a video on Nazir's phone of the gun they believe Betro used in the shootings. Security video also showed her buying 'burner' phones before the shootings. Investigators said at Betro's trial that she did not 'have a huge footprint criminally' in the U.S. or anywhere else, the BBC reported. She denied her involvement in the shootings, telling the jury that it was 'a terrible coincidence' that she was in the area around the time of the attacks, the outlet reported. Betro was also convicted in a separate incident that involved her smuggling ammunition into the U.K. in an attempt to frame another rival of Nazir's, according to police. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 21. Aslam and Nazir were convicted of charges related to the murder plot. Aslam was sentenced last year to 10 years in prison, and Nazir was sentenced to 32 years.
