London police arrest, charge suspect in alleged hate-motivated attack

Investigators with London Police Service's hate crime unit have arrested and charged a London manin relation to an alleged hate-motivated assaultSaturdayin downtownIvey Park.

The suspect allegedly made derogatory comments toward a Muslim man who was with his family, police said. He proceeded to assault the manand remained in the area for around 20 minutes before leaving the park on ane-bike, they said.

On Friday, police charged a 61-year-old with one count of assault.

The incident has been condemnedon social media by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), London Mayor Josh Morgan and most recently by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who on X, formerly Twitter, called the attack "abhorrent and unacceptable."

The victim in Saturday's incident sustained minor injuries and did not require medical attention, according to police.

The accused remains in custody, police said, and is set to appear in court in relation to the charge.