Overview
- A man entered the Nanaksar Gurdwara on Aug. 21 and stabbed two male worshippers who were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after temple attendees subdued the attacker.
- Edmonton police identified the accused as Austin Sim-Pelletier and said he was charged on Sept. 4 with two counts of assault causing bodily harm, one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief, with a next court date set for Sept. 18.
- The Correctional Service of Canada confirmed the suspect was discharged on statutory release the day before the attack, a mandatory process that returns most federal inmates to the community after serving two-thirds of a fixed sentence and places them under supervision.
- EPS investigators, including the Investigative Response Team and Hate Crimes Unit, continue to probe the case and said they have not found evidence to support hate-crime charges at this time while they assess motive and other evidence.
- Community leaders and public officials have condemned the attack, victims are reported to be recovering, and the case has prompted scrutiny of how quickly breaches of release conditions, such as failing to report to a halfway house, are detected and acted on.