Police charge suspect in stabbing at Edmonton gurdwara, but say no evidence of hate crime

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeCrimeLocal News Police charge suspect in stabbing at Edmonton gurdwara, but say no evidence of hate crime Edmonton police on Thursday announced charges including assault causing bodily harm, mischief and possession of a weapon against 27-year-old Austin Sim-Pelletier Author of the article: By Jonny Wakefield Published Sep 10, 2026 Last updated 2 hours ago 3 minute read Join the conversation The Gurdwara Nanaksar is seen from the Horse Hill area of northeast Edmonton in 2013. A man with a history of weapons offences has been charged with stabbing two worshippers at the temple last month. PHOTO BY SHAUGHN BUTTS /Postmedia Article content A man with a history of weapons offences, including for a shooting outside a school in Red Deer, has been charged with stabbing two worshippers at a Sikh temple in Edmonton last month — though police say that so far, there is no evidence the violence was motivated by hate. Edmonton police on Thursday announced charges including assault causing bodily harm, mischief and possession of a weapon against 27-year-old Austin Sim-Pelletier, who was arrested after two members of Edmonton’s Nanaksar Sikh Gurdwara were injured in a stabbing last month that made international headlines.  At an afternoon press conference, EPS Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart said so far, the stabbing does not appear to have been hate-motivated. “We are still collecting evidence, and we’re still working through it,” Stewart said. “But currently, at this time, there wasn’t the evidence to support those (hate crime) charges.” Stewart declined to say anything about Sim-Pelletier’s apparent state of mind at the time of his arrest, including whether he appeared to be high on drugs or experiencing a mental-health episode. Stewart did says that contrary to statements from several Sikh organizations, there was no damage to the temple’s Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, a sacred scripture regarded as a living guru. Article content Article content The Gurdwara Nanaksar is seen from the Horse Hill area of northeast Edmonton, 2013. PHOTO BY FILE PHOTO /Postmedia Article content Article content Victims recovering Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article…