British Columbia

Man in SkyTrain attack pleads guilty to assault against Muslim woman

A​ 46-year-old man who attacked a Muslim woman on a SkyTrain.has received a suspended sentence and two years probation, after pleading guilty to two counts of assault, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

Pierre Belzan received a suspended sentence and 2 years probation

Police said Belzan did not have a criminal record. (Richard Lam/Canadian Press )

A​ 46-year-old man who attacked a Muslim woman on SkyTrain has received a suspended sentence and two years probation, after pleading guilty to assault and threatening, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

In December, Transit police arrested Pierre Belzan in connection with the attack on an 18-year-old Muslim woman that, she says, was preceded by a racist rant.

Noor Fadel, who was wearing a hijab, said she was approached by a man who began yelling at her in a mix of Arabic and another language she says she did not recognize.

The man, Fadel said, told her to go back to her country and that he would kill her and all Muslims. He then attacked her, she said.

Belzan was charged with one count of threatening to cause death or bodily harm and one count of assault.

Police said Belzan did not have a criminal record.