Orthodox Jewish man stabbed by Arab immigrant in Montreal

A Jewish man stabbed in the face and neck outside of a kosher meat processing plant by a Lebanese national wielding a pair of scissors.

By World Israel News Staff

An Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed in the face and neck last Thursday in an attack by a perpetrator who is believed to be a Lebanese immigrant to Canada.

The attack occurred outside of a kosher meat-processing plant in the Saint-Michel neighborhood of Montreal, as the victim appeared to be taking a break from work outside of the facility.

Security camera footage from the scene depicts the assailant approaching the victim, who is wearing clothing that identifies him as a religiously observant Jew, and then attacking him while his back is turned.

According to VIN News, the victim is in stable condition, and the perpetrator, who was identified by the outlet as an Arab immigrant to Canada originally from Lebanon, was arrested.

Mouloud Machouche, 21, is believed to have been denied bail and will remain in custody until the end of the criminal proceedings against him.

StopAntisemitism reported that the victim received stitches for a laceration to his right eye at the hospital, but he is now recovering at home.

Local media reports suggested that the incident may have stemmed from a work-related conflict between the two men. Montreal police confirmed that both were employed at the kosher meat facility.

B’nai Brith Canada head Marvin Rotrand told local outlet CTV that it was unclear whether or not the attack was inherently antisemitic. But the fact that antisemitic incidents are on the rise in the city has rattled the Jewish community, he said.

“All these things add up, and people get very, very worried.”

Rotrand said that antisemitic violence in Montreal had spiked in recent years.

“Last year, in our own auditing, we recorded 75 violent incidents against Jews in Canada. And that was a greater number than the five years previous,” he said.