Two men were stabbed during a gathering at a large Sikh temple on the northeastern outskirts of Edmonton by a man police say has a history of violence and had just been released from prison.
The attack happened Friday morning at the Nanaksar gurdwara — a large, white, ornate Sikh temple along Manning Drive between Edmonton and Fort Saskatchewan.
Police responded just after 5 a.m. to the stabbings at the gurdwara near 14 Street and Horsehill Road, where officers arrested a man.
The Edmonton Police Service held a news conference Friday afternoon, sharing that the suspect is known to them and has a “significant history of violent offences.”
Police are still working to determine a motive for the attack and the EPS hate crimes unit has been engaged to help with the investigation.
When asked if it was a terror attack, EPS Chief Warren Driechel said it was too early to make that determination or draw parallels to any other attacks.
“When we label things a ‘terror attack,’ the first thing we look at to see is if it’s a hate crime first.”
“If we determine the incident was motivated by ideology, we will be considering all applicable Criminal Code provisions, including those associated with hate-motivated offences,” he added.
Charges are still pending against the 27-year-old suspect so he can’t yet be named, however Acting Insp. Eric Stewart was able to share he had just been released from prison.
“At this time, we can tell you the 27-year-old man is known to police and has a significant history of violent offences dating back to 2015,” Stewart said.
“We’ve learnt he was released from a federal institution yesterday, August 20, 2026, where he had been serving a sentence for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer.”
Driechel added the suspect was released after serving about 20 months of a 31-month sentence.
“He was required to report to a halfway house here in Edmonton, and did not,” Driechel said.
Driechel clarified the suspect was not released from the Edmonton Institution maximum-security prison, which is two kilometres from the temple, but rather a federal facility somewhere else in Alberta.
“I’m cautious to say — it is one in Alberta. We’re still working with them to try and get some information exactly. We have a good indication of what it was, but at this point I’m hesitant to say until we can speak a little further with CSC, or Correctional Service of Canada.
“So it’s one in Alberta, but it is not one in the Edmonton area. I hate to be cagey, I just want to be respectful until we work through some issues with them.”
There are six other federal facilities in Alberta besides the Edmonton Institution:
- Bowden Institution (Minimum/medium-security near Innisfail in central Alberta)
- Drumheller Institution (Minimum/medium-security in eastern Alberta)
- Grande Cache Institution (Medium-security in northwestern Alberta)
- Grierson Institution (Minimum-security in Edmonton)
- Edmonton Institution for Women (Multi-level minimum/medium/maximum-security for females only)
- Pê Sâkâstêw Centre (Minimum-security men’s correctional healing lodge in Mâskwâcîs)
What happened?
The man entered the temple around 5 a.m. and began attacking members of the sangat (the Sikh term for congregation) during morning prayers that were happening ahead of a wedding, temple leadership told Global News.
They said he was a white male.
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“He came in and caused a disruption — our morning prayers were interrupted and the guys who were doing the prayer noticed this guy. You know, doesn’t look like he’s a visitor,” said Harmeek Sehgal, a representative from the Nanaksar gurdwara.
The prayer leaders tried to talk to the man, but Sehgal said it didn’t go well and the man lashed out.
“The guy apparently wasn’t listening to anything. So they (tried) to subdue the guy. The guy tried to push back,” he said.
“The guys were able to subdue him down, and the police was called at that time.”
The Edmonton Police Service said it first got a call around 4:50 a.m. about a man walking in traffic on Manning Drive/Highway 15.
About 10 to 15 minutes later, police said 911 calls about the stabbing from the temple began coming in.
Officers arrived to find a man carrying what appeared to be a screwdriver, Stewart said.
Police confirmed EMS responded and treated a 75-year-old man and a 51-year-old man for non-life-threatening injuries.
Forensics crews and detectives arrived after that to collect evidence and speak to witnesses.
The temple’s leadership said the two men are believed to be in stable condition.
“The last I heard, they both were talking,” Sehgal said. “The people who were doing the prayers, most of them are elderly, right? So that’s why it took them a group of them, I guess, to subdue him.”
While the two men were injured while trying to defuse the situation, Sehgal said nothing inside the temple was damaged.
“Luckily no property or physical damage — like specifically to our Sikh scriptures, which are quite sacred to us.”
Those gathered for the wedding were allowed to begin going back inside the gurdwara around 10:30 a.m. and the wedding proceeded as planned, but the morning’s events cast a pall over the day.
Sikh community worried about recent incidents
“It was supposed be a joyous occasion, yet here we are having to talk about two people who were seriously injured,” Harman Kandola with the World Sikh Organization of Canada said outside the building on Friday.
The attack has left the community shocked and seeking answers.
“First thing that comes to mind right away (is),’Was this a hate crime? Was this an isolated incident?'” Sehgal said.
“The police will help determine that — everybody is anxious to figure out what happened and why it happened.”
Edmonton’s police chief admits hate-motivated incidents are on the rise and not just in his city.
“What we’re seeing in Canada right now, in terms of polarization, politicization of certain things, leaders speaking out in different directions or not speaking out against hate — these are the things that the police are dealing with and it’s becoming increasingly complex, difficult for us to manage some of these environments,” Driechel said.
“We hear the concerns of the community — I constantly talk to people that are fearful in this community.
“It’s time that leaders, we stand up and we call out hate when we see it. We condemn those that are doing it — whoever they are — and start to bring some peace and calm to our communities, because it’s becoming a problem for police consistently.”
The temple is always open to anyone to visit, members said, which is how the suspect was able to walk in and enter the prayer hall.
“A gurdwara is a space that anybody is welcome. The door is always open for people to come in, enjoy a free meal. Be able to participate and be connected to congregation. There is no checks on who you are and what your background is and what faith you belong to,” Kandola said.
“For that sacred space to be violated by somebody whose intention was to hurt and to inflict some damage is extremely disappointing.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) also issued a statement Friday, saying the incident comes at an alarming time for Sikhs in Alberta.
The WSO noted the Calgary Police Service is investigating threatening calls made to two gurdwaras last weekend, which reportedly included calls to demolish Sikh places of worship.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas condemned the threats.
Calgary police said the threatening phone calls were made the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 15, to two Sikh temples located in the northeast. On Friday, police said the investigation remains ongoing but at this time, investigators don’t believe there is an active threat to the community or to either location.
“We recognize that these incidents can be deeply upsetting to both those involved and to the entire community. We are working closely with directors of both Sikh temples to provide support, share information, and ensure they have access to available resources,” CPS said.
Earlier this month in Edmonton, the WSO said a Sikh truck driver reported being subjected to comments about his religious identity before being assaulted at a Walmart. Global News is seeking to confirm the details of that incident with police.
The organization also pointed to the March death of 22-year-old Birinder Singh, who was shot while driving south on the QEII near Leduc.
While RCMP said there was no evidence the shooting was motivated by hate or racial bias, the WSO said it caused significant alarm within Alberta’s Sikh community.
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