Police in Ontario, Canada, said Friday that they consider the stabbing of a Jewish woman at a kosher supermarket in Ottawa earlier this week to be a “hate-motivated” crime.
The woman was shopping with a friend on Wednesday when she was approached and stabbed by a man who did not know her, according to Ottawa police, in a crime that has sent shockwaves through the nation.
The woman, who is in her 70s, required hospital treatment but survived the attack. Police arrested her alleged attacker at the scene.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday described the attack as “senseless” and “deeply disturbing.”
“To Canada’s Jewish community: you are not alone,” Carney wrote in a post on X. “We stand with you against hate and threats to your safety, and we will act to confront antisemitism wherever it appears.”
Police have not identified the woman by name. They have identified her alleged attacker as Joseph Rooke, a 71-year-old man from Cornwall, Ontario, who has been charged with “aggravated assault and possessing a dangerous weapon.”
He appeared in court Thursday. CNN has asked the court for the name of his attorney.
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa described the woman in a social media post Thursday as a “cherished member of our community.”
“The Ottawa Police Service has been very supportive, and at this time there is no indication of increased risk to Jewish facilities or institutions,” the Federation said. “We are grateful for law enforcement’s swift response and ongoing diligence.”
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe in a post on X Thursday called the attack an act of “reprehensible violence.”
