Police investigating fake severed hand thrown at Verdun Islamic Centre
Posted July 21, 2026 11:29 am.
Last Updated July 22, 2026 11:37 am.
Montreal police’s hate crimes division is investigating after a fake severed hand covered in a blood-looking substance was allegedly thrown at the Verdun Islamic Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Police officers responded to 911 calls around 2:30 p.m. reporting that a plastic bag containing the object was hurled at the entrance of the centre on Verdun Street near 1st Avenue.
According to the Canadian Muslim Forum (CMF), the incident happened during a Sunday prayer gathering of families and worshippers.
“Children were frightened, families were shaken, and a place of worship and community gathering was turned into a scene of anxiety and intimidation,” the organization wrote in a post on X Monday.
The CMF says the object was later determined to be an artificial or imitation hand, but that the fear and distress it caused were very real.
“It was really terrifying for everyone because at the beginning it was not clear what was in the bag,” said president Samer Majzoub. “What appears to be a hand full of blood. I mean it is a strong message. It is a fear message that is being meant most probably.
“It created a lot of scary shock waves at the first moments.”
The CMF also said the red substance was determined not to be blood, however the SPVM has not confirmed the nature of the substance.
“It’s not a good image, it’s disappointing, to still see things like this,” said Mouhamed Tairou, a member of the Islamic centre.
“We are Muslims. And Islam is a religion of peace. And we have made peace with all other religions.”
CMF denounced the incident as “Islamaphobic intimidation” and as part of a growing problem facing the Muslim community.
“This incident does not occur in a vacuum,” CMF wrote. “It comes amid a troubling rise in Islamophobia, online hate, and divisive rhetoric that increasingly targets Canadians of Muslim faith.”
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also condemned the incident and called it “completely unacceptable.”
“Montreal must remain a city of dialogue, respect, and peaceful coexistence, where everyone can feel safe and treated with dignity,” she said. “Hate, intimidation, and incitement to violence have no place on our streets.”
Verdun deputy borough mayor Sterling Downey called it a “hateful, racist act.”
“It needs to be denounced and it should not be accepted,” Downey said. “And the community should stand up and speak up against it and make sure that, again like I said, our Islamic community knows that they’re supported and that we stand with them in unity.”
The SPVM says the incident has not yet been declared a hate crime, and no arrests have been made.
“They could be doing some steps to make sure what is in the hand because there are some writings, my understanding on the hand itself,” said Majzoub. “So but I believe it will be at the end of the day it is nothing but hate, it is nothing but intimidation.”
The CMF is calling for strengthening laws against hate crimes and the promotion of hateful messages.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said the incident was part of an “Islamophobia surge across Quebec and Canada that threatens the very social fabric of this country.”
“Every day, such incidents are occurring again and again,” the NCCM wrote on social media. “We cannot accept this as the new normal. Enough is enough. We need a new anti-Islamophobia national strategy.
“We call on all elected leaders to denounce what happened at Verdun, and to work with community members to build a new way forward.”
This is not the first incident that’s shaken this centre. In late 2022, a man tried to force his way into the community centre during prayers.
“This is the second time that the same centre is subject to, I can 100 per cent assure that this is Islamophobic and 100 per cent assure this is hate-based,” Majzoub said. “Who is behind it? How it is planned? For sure it’s not our work, it is the police work to do that.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 911 or Info-crime Montreal at 514-393-1133 or online.
“It’s frightening, even if it’s artificial,” Montrealer Victor Katchon told CityNews. “I think it’s frightening. It’s dangerous. For me, I find it unacceptable.”
“It’s sick, it’s disgusting. It’s juvenile, honestly, it’s very freshman-esque,” added Russell Dow.
