Toronto Police Release Suspect Images in Alleged Anti-Muslim Bus Assault

Overview

• Toronto police published surveillance photos of a man sought in a suspected hate-motivated assault on a Durham Region Transit bus in Scarborough, and said the woman suffered minor injuries.
• Investigators said a man used anti-Muslim slurs and then kicked at a woman wearing a hijab before leaving near Progress Avenue and Milner Avenue.
• The Hate Crime Unit is leading the probe, and officers asked for tips as they released a description of a heavyset man in his 30s to 40s in a black jacket, blue jeans, and a camouflage cap with a Canada logo.
• Video shared by the National Council of Canadian Muslims shows the verbal abuse and bystanders intervening, and the group says it is supporting the woman and urging governments to condemn the attack.
• Local MPPs from Ajax and Scarborough denounced the assault as hateful, and police noted that hate motivation can be considered by a judge as an aggravating factor if a conviction follows.