Nadia Hasan, chief operating officer of the Canadian National Council of Muslims, said about 20 people were at the mosque at the time.

“A number of men who were there to pray catch [pria bersenjata] and they arrested him until the police arrived,” he said.

Hasan said there were remnants of bear spray still in the building Saturday afternoon, which still made people cough.

“People are obviously very shaken up and starting to recover,” he said.

“But I think for the most part people are still processing what happened and trying to figure out how they can make sure their community stays safe.”

Hasan said the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center remained open on Saturday and police were there to ensure other prayer times could go ahead safely.

Hasan said the mosque was offering bereavement counseling and other mental health support to help those affected by the attack, while police continue their investigation.

“They don’t know what motivates this person to do what they do, but they obviously have a lot of questions about, you know, why is this happening, why is this happening to them, why is this community in particular?” Hasan said.

The Hindy Mosque’s imam said the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Center would provide further comments when more information became available on the attack. He urged Peel Police “to continue to investigate from all angles”.

Hasan echoed Hindy’s plea, telling CBC News, “We’re waiting to hear more about his motives.”