Edmonton police officers are expected to be keeping a close watch on mosques in the city Friday following attacks on two mosques in New Zealand.
Forty-nine people were killed and another 48 injured in shootings at two mosques filled with worshippers during Friday prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand.
A man in his 20s has been charged with murder and will soon appear in court, said Mike Bush, New Zealand’s police commissioner.
Edmonton police officers will increase patrols around the city’s mosques, states a post on the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council Facebook page.
The post also states that “there is no known local threat at this time.”
“It shows solidarity,” said Adil Hasan, vice president of civic engagement with the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council. “EPS is on top of it and EPS is there as a partner with the community and I think that’s very encouraging.”
The increased presence of police officers is not due to any threat locally, Hasan confirmed Friday.
The events in New Zealand are “traumatizing” and bring back memories of events that have happened closer to home, he said, citing the shooting of six men at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017.
“Your heart sinks and your heart hurts when you hear of senseless violence in a place of worship,” Hasan said.