Montreal police seek man who allegedly assaulted three Muslim women

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The Montreal police hate-crimes squad is asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who allegedly assaulted three Muslim women near the Berri-UQAM métro in March.

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Three women from Montreal’s Muslim community were leaving a business when they were accosted by a man.

He allegedly insulted them and assaulted them, including slapping them in the face.

Passersby intervened and the man left the scene on foot and was seen entering the Berri-UQAM metro station, two blocks away, police said.

Police described the man as being Black, aged between 30 and 40. He is about 1.85 metres tall (6 feet 1 inch) and weighs about 90 kilograms (200 pounds).

At the time, he had a beard and was wearing a black hooded coat, a gray jacket, dark blue jeans and a black cap.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 911 or their local police station. They can also anonymously and confidentially provide the information to Info-Crime Montréal by calling 514-393-1133 or filing a report via infocrimemontreal.ca.

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Montreal police said a crime is considered a hate-crime “when it is motivated or suspected of being motivated by hatred of race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression or any other similar factor.”

Montreal police have investigated several suspected hate crimes in recent weeks.

In late April, police arrested a 16-year-old boy in connection with the burning of Israeli flags taken from Hebrew Foundation School, a Jewish elementary school in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

A week earlier, police arrested a minor in connection with assaults on two Hasidic men in Outremont.

In late March, vandals spraypainted black swastikas on the historic Bagg Street Synagogue in Plateau-Mont-Royal.