Fake severed hand thrown at Verdun Islamic Centre; hate crimes unit investigating
SPVM investigating the incident as Islamophobic intimidation. Red substance was not blood; no arrests made.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montreal police's hate crimes division is investigating after a fake severed hand covered in blood-like substance was thrown at the Islamic centre in Verdun, police said Tuesday, July 21.
Police responded to 911 calls around 2:30 p.m. reporting that a plastic bag containing the object was hurled at the entrance of the centre on Verdun Street near 1st Avenue during a prayer gathering.
According to the Canadian Muslim Forum (CMF), the red substance was later determined not to be blood, though the SPVM has not confirmed the nature of the substance. Children were frightened and families were shaken, the CMF wrote on social media.
The Canadian Muslim Forum denounced the incident as "Islamophobic intimidation" and part of a growing problem facing the Muslim community. "This incident does not occur in a vacuum," the organization wrote. "It comes amid a troubling rise in Islamophobia, online hate, and divisive rhetoric that increasingly targets Canadians of Muslim faith."
No arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Info-crime Montreal at 514-393-1133.
At a glance
Where exactly did this incident happen?
A fake severed hand was thrown at the Islamic centre in Verdun on Verdun Street near 1st Avenue in Montreal.
When did police respond?
Montreal police responded to 911 calls around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Was the red substance actually blood?
No. The Canadian Muslim Forum determined the red substance was not blood, though the SPVM has not confirmed what it actually was.
