British Pakistani Christian Association Chairman had a near miss avoiding a terrorist attack in Edmonton, Canada that occurred on the evening of September
30th 2017. Mr Chowdhry was attending a rally and then an evening round table discussion at Multicultural Christian Church in Millwoods.
The event ended at 8pm and due to networking after the meeting Mr Chowdhry finished around 9.30.pm, on the way back to his hotel which was only 1 minute
away from the incident site of the attack, the driver of his vehicle took an alternative route which meant they circumvented the area.
Mr Chowdhry expressed his condolences for those injured in the attack and commended the bravery and professionalism of law enforcement and emergency
services who rapidly responded to the threat.
Mr Chowdhry, said:
“London has been hit with 4 terrorist attacks in 2017, the UK has been hit five time. Here is Edmonton an extremely quiet city this attack has caught me off guard and has shocked me to the core.
“This attack was simply too close to home and I find myself at a loss for words. There is nowhere that is safe from Islamic extremists using means such as these opportunist and less sophisticated vehicle attacks.
“I came to Canada to seek refuge for thousands of stranded Pakistani Christians in Thailand seeking to leave the violent Islamic extremism in their homeland, yet I find myself once again in an ostensibly safe nation praying for victims of another precipitous assault on innocent people.
“The mindset of individuals willing to perpetuate such violence is an unfathomably evil, that will serve to create more division amongst increasingly polarised communities.
“I fear that unless nations in the West are willing to speak up about the true nature of the root causes of these incidents, we will never be able to overcome the proliferation of the hate ideology motivating these fundamentalists.
“These attackers are not saying ‘Our Father who art in Heaven’ before their attacks’. We need to engage with our Muslim neighbours and work better in particular with those supporting community harmony. At the same those who are committing crimes must be reported with equal vigour by all citizens of nations in the west. The time to stay silent is over.”
Mr Chowdhry was visiting Canada, to highlight the plight of Pakistani Christians who suffer severe persecution for their faith. He has been meeting
with Canadian politicians, and has been speaking at several churches. Yesterday at the Legislative Assembly Building in Edmonton he spoke at
a public rally calling for help for Maherwar Ishaq who has been threatened with death for reporting a sexual harassment incident by a Pakistani official
(click here).
Keri-Lynn Gibbs a Canadian Citizen, who organised his trip and the schedule in Canada explained how she felt she should change the venue for his accommodation.
Which moved Mr Chowdhry a few blocks away from the incident site.
“Because of it’s proximity to the legislature I was going to book Mr Chowdhry in Matrix Hotel for his stay here in Edmonton. However, I decided to place him closer to the river valley 500m further down the same street. Now this insignificant adjustment, seems providential.”
A police constable in Edmonton Canada was struck down with a lorry and then repeatedly stabbed by the driver. A manhunt ensued resulting in several
police cruisers giving chase to the suspect at high speed in downtown Edmonton Saturday night, officials say, in what is now being deemed a terrorism
incident.
Four pedestrians and the constable were injured when the U-Haul truck struck them as it sped down Jasper Avenue, Edmonton police chief Rod Knetch told
reporters.
The officer is not in critical condition. Knetch could not provide more details about the condition of the pedestrians.
The 30 year old suspect is now in custody and appears to have acted alone, according to Edmonton police chief.
Chief Knetch said an Islamic State flag that was inside the suspect’s vehicle had been seized and was part of the investigation, which now involves
the local RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, a counter-terrorism unit.
Edmonton police give an update on suspected terror attack saying:
“The incident started around 8:15 p.m. near Commonwealth Stadium, where a police officer was handling traffic-control duties outside the Edmonton Eskimos-Blue
Bombers game. The game was military appreciation night.
Knetch said a Chevrolet Malibu slammed into the officer’s vehicle.
The driver got out of the Malibu holding a knife and stabbed the officer, Knetch said.
The suspect then fled on foot. Police found identification papers for a man in his 30s in the Malibu.
About two hours later, a police officer stopped a U-Haul truck and saw that the driver’s name appeared to match that of the suspect in the earlier incident.
The racing Uhaul was pursued at highspeed by several police cruisers from Commonwealth Stadium and then down the downtown core.
“While being chased, the suspect tried to hit pedestrians as he passed by crosswalks and alleyways,” Knetch said.
The chase ended with the truck swerving into Jasper Avenue, where it eventually overturned. Knetch said the high-speed pursuit in the downtown area was
justified by the serious nature of the incident.
Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar just west of the downtown core, said the truck hit a person in the alley outside his establishment.
“We were just standing out front here and basically a U-Haul was heading north down 109th Street and peeled into this smoking alley here where people were
having a smoke,” he said.
“There was like 10 cop cars following him.
“It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they
were chasing.”
Elgie said after the vehicle passed by the steps of the bar
The alley was blocked by police afterwards, but people continued to come and go from The Pint.
The U-Haul ended up on its side a few blocks away outside the Matrix hotel.
