Toronto police are investigating after a man was violently attacked outside a mosque in Scarborough on Wednesday, which was captured by a surveillance camera.
Police said the assault occurred in the parking lot of Baitul Aman Masjid near Victoria Park and Danforth avenues at around 7:45 p.m.
In the video, a man is walking in the parking lot when two people approach him.
One of them is seen holding what appears to be a bat and proceeds to strike the man. The other person then kicks the man, causing him to fall to the ground.
The assailants continue to attack the man, stomping and hitting him. As it is happening, a grey-coloured sedan slowly pulls up beside the suspects.
Shortly after, the two get into the vehicle and drive away.
Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
No suspect information has been released.
When asked if the incident is being investigated as a hate crime, police said it is not at this time.
“The investigator has advised that after speaking with the victim, the attack does not appear to be hate-motivated,” police said.
Muhammad Kamruzzaman, the secretary of the mosque, identified the victim as 67-year-old Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury.
Speaking to CP24 on Thursday night, Kamruzzaman described Chowdhury as a very well-known and kind member of the mosque.
"He was crying," Kamruzzaman said when asked how Chowdhury was doing after the attack. "And then he said that he doesn't have any enemy. This is his belief."
"He couldn't walk properly. He cannot talk even properly," Kamruzzaman said, adding that the victim's family is contemplating moving elsewhere.
As for the suspects, he says he has never seen them before and has no clue why they attacked Chowdhury.
Kamruzzaman noted that the suspects waited for almost an hour in the parking lot. He says he is still waiting for an update from the police.
The attack has left many in the community shocked and scared.
While there had been incidents of vandalism and theft before, Kamruzzaman says this is the first time that something like this has happened.
"I've never seen this type of incident in the community," he said. "We want justice."
