In a grisly home invasion, a Pakistani-origin man in Hamilton (Canada) was left dead in the middle of the night on Thursday while two family members sustained critical injuries. According to police, 63-year-old Faqir Ali was the target of the kidnapping.
Ali’s two adult sons attempted to protect their father and were shot. Ali was "taken forcefully" from his home near Glancaster Road and Dickenson Road in Mount Hope around 3 a.m. ET, police said, as per the CBC news.
He was later found on Beach Boulevard near the Burlington Lift Bridge with serious, life-threatening injuries, Hamilton police spokesperson Const Indy Bharaj said. One of his two sons, believed to be in their 20s, died in the hospital after suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds while the other brother underwent surgery.
A team of investigations have hinted that the attack was a targeted incident, adding that indications are there were “multiple people involved”.
However, the investigators are still working to determine the motive behind the attack. “Our understanding is that there were multiple people involved,” Bharaj said. Police also believe a dark SUV was involved.
Pakistani community shocked
The recent attack on the Pakistani community living in the country has left the community shocked and horrified.
Zahid Butt, founding director and senior vice-president of the Pakistani Business Association of Hamilton, told CBC News that, “Our family, we know each other and he calls me sometimes because … we would sometimes just connect with each other regarding community matters.”
He said he has been receiving telephone calls all day from members of the Pakistani community, and that they are "very upset."Usman Khan, founder and former chairman Jinnah Cultural Society of Hamilton, told the news outlet Ali was a longtime Hamilton resident who is known to the community."
He's very nice, humble, courteous and always invites people at his place. He's a very hospitable person," Khan added. Hate crimes against Muslims in Canada have grown 253 per cent between 2012 and 2015.
Last year, a caretaker was stabbed and killed in a mosque.
The culprit was said to be influenced by neo-Nazi social media posts.A poll from 2016 revealed that 41 per cent of Canadian adults harboured some level of bias against racial groups, with Muslims having the highest negative rating at 28 per cent.
