2 injured in stabbing at Canada's Edmonton gurudwara, suspect arrested

The incident took place at Nanaksar Sikh Gurdwara in northeast Edmonton, the suspect entered the gurdwara and attempted to access the prayer area

Two men were injured after a 27-year-old armed man stabbed them inside a gurudwara in Canada's Edmonton during morning prayers, authorities said, with police probing the incident to ascertain whether the attack was hate-motivated.

The incident took place at Nanaksar Sikh Gurudwara in northeast Edmonton around 5 am (local time) on Friday.

The suspect entered the gurdwara and attempted to access the prayer area before he was confronted by staff, police said.

The confrontation escalated and two men, aged 75 and 51, were stabbed, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said in a statement on Friday.

During a news conference on Friday, Acting Inspector Eric Stewart with EPS said the EPS Hate Crimes unit is investigating.

Stewart said police received a report of a man walking in traffic shortly before officers were called to the scene of the stabbing.

"Quick acting witnesses" intervened and detained the man, before police arrived and the victims were taken to hospital, Stewart said.

Zora Grewal, vice president of the Nanaksar Gurudwara Gursikh Temple, said witnesses told him that several people were inside the building when the attack interrupted morning prayers, CBC News reported.

While police described the victims as worshippers, Grewal said they were a temple priest and a longtime volunteer.

He said when people inside the temple attempted to remove the armed man from the building, he lashed out and stabbed a priest repeatedly with a screwdriver before turning his weapon on the elderly volunteer.

The two injured men were taken to a hospital and were reported to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the report added. The suspect was also injured and taken to the hospital, according to the report.