Police in Ontario, Canada, mentioned Friday that they take into account the stabbing of a Jewish woman at a kosher grocery store in Ottawa earlier this week to be a “hate-motivated” crime.
The woman was procuring with a good friend on Wednesday when she was approached and stabbed by a person who didn’t know her, in line with Ottawa police, in a criminal offense that has despatched shockwaves by the nation.
The woman, who’s in her 70s, required hospital remedy however survived the assault. Police arrested her alleged attacker on the scene.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday described the assault as “senseless” and “deeply disturbing.”
“To Canada’s Jewish community: you are not alone,” Carney wrote in a publish on X. “We stand with you against hate and threats to your safety, and we will act to confront antisemitism wherever it appears.”
Police haven’t recognized the woman by identify. They have recognized her alleged attacker as Joseph Rooke, a 71-year-old man from Cornwall, Ontario, who has been charged with “aggravated assault and possessing a dangerous weapon.”
He appeared in court docket Thursday. NCS has requested the court docket for the identify of his legal professional.
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa described the woman in a social media publish Thursday as a “cherished member of our community.”
“The Ottawa Police Service has been very supportive, and at this time there is no indication of increased risk to Jewish facilities or institutions,” the Federation mentioned. “We are grateful for law enforcement’s swift response and ongoing diligence.”
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe in a publish on X Thursday referred to as the assault an act of “reprehensible violence.”