The Calgary Police Service is asking the public to help identify a suspect alleged to have started a fire and assaulted two staff members at a Catholic church last Friday.
According to the release, two church staff members heard a commotion outside the church, and when they opened the back door to investigate, a man “aggressively charged at them.”
“The two men were able to close the door and get to safety while the man continued to attempt to gain entry into the church,” the police said.
“The men called 9-1-1 and the fire was extinguished upon the Calgary Fire Department’s arrival.”
The suspect is described as approximately 35 to 45 years old, with a bald or shaved head, and approximately 6 feet tall and 180 pounds.
Police added that they are investigating whether the incident was hate-motivated.
Church Burnings
The latest incident follows a series of church burnings in the last two years in Canada.Two men were charged with arson after the 121-year-old church was burnt down. They were also charged with break and enter to commit theft following their arrest on May 23.
The Mounties said no one was hurt in the fire, though the church, a provincial historic site, was damaged beyond repair. Both men were placed in custody and are due in court on May 29 in High Prairie.
A police spokesperson told The Epoch Times at the time they could only speak to facts at that point, and not motivation.
The two incidents occurred as this month marks the two-year anniversary of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations saying ground-penetrating radar had found burial sites of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. So far, none of the locations said to be unmarked grave sites have been excavated to look for remains.
The Epoch Times found some cases remain officially open, while others have closed but could reopen if new evidence comes to light.