Not hate-motived: Surrey RCMP say two teens behind frightening mosque incident

Surrey RCMP says a frightening incident at a Surrey, BC mosque where a driver appeared to charge at worshippers exiting evening prayers was not hate-motivated.

Police have identified the two teens in the car, and say both the driver and passenger are members of the Muslim community.

“The RCMP recognizes that any incidents such as this one that are initially believed to be a hate crime are traumatizing to our community,” Commissioner Brian Edwards said in a news release. “However, once it was discovered that the nature of the incident was not hate-motivated, it was important for us to update the public.”

The driver is alleged to have sped toward worshippers exiting Surrey Jamea Masjid during the final days of Ramadan on April 27 at around 11 pm. Someone in the car is also alleged to have thrown water at a group of people standing outside.

Part of the incident was captured on video, where one man standing outside the mosque says he believes the driver was trying to hit them.

The BC Muslim Association issued a statement about what happened on April 28, saying the driver’s behaviour was highly concerning after the hate-motivated attack in London, Ontario, where a man ran over and killed four members of a Muslim family.

 

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“In the aftermath of the London terror attack, the feigning of running over community members is not a small matter,” the BCMA said.

Surrey RCMP said they spoke with six witnesses and two suspects during their investigation, and everyone cooperated.

The force said the matter may be resolved by pressing charges or using a restorative justice approach that would allow parties to express the incident’s impact on them and the greater community.