A man who attacked worshippers at a mosque in Mississauga last year has been sentenced to eight years in prison, following a week after pleading guilty to three terrorism-related charges.

The sentence for Mohamed Muaz Omar was delivered at the Ontario Superior Court in Brampton on Tuesday.

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) stated that his sentence is significantly higher than “the sentences typically received for crimes of this nature.”

The PPSC added that Omar's attack was motivated by hatred and aimed at random harm when he assaulted worshippers with bear spray and an axe at the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre mosque in March 2022.

Federal prosecutor Sarah Sheikh said in a press release: “The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offense and the community's condemnation of such attacks, taking into account the guilty plea.”

Omar pleaded guilty on July 19 to three charges, including using a weapon (bear spray) with intent to endanger the lives of others or cause bodily harm, assault with a weapon (axe), and mischief to religious property motivated by bias or hatred based on religion.

The PPSC also stated that Omar expressed to the police his hatred for Muslims and his disappointment for not causing any real harm to the victims.

The court ruled on Tuesday that Omar must serve at least half of his sentence before he can apply for parole.