A man was killed and three injured were taken to the hospital early Sunday morning in Montreal, after being stabbed by a 26-year-old young man with a sharp weapon, according to the Canadian police.

The police clarified in Canada's second largest city that they responded to an emergency call at 06:50 am (10:50 GMT) "regarding a man in crisis" in an apartment downtown Montreal.

The police said in a statement that the suspect "stabbed with a sharp tool" his mother and her husband, then stabbed another person in a neighboring apartment as well as a building guard who tried to intervene.

The stepfather, aged 72, died at the scene, while the three injured were taken to the hospital, where one of them remains in critical condition.

The police said the suspect was arrested at the scene.

Canada has recently witnessed an increase in violent attacks and mass killings that have left 43 dead and 38 injured since 2017.

Among those incidents are a truck attack carried out by a driver against a Muslim family in London, Ontario, a shooting attack by a man in Nova Scotia, a truck attack targeting pedestrians in Toronto, and six worshippers shot dead in a mosque in Quebec.