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A man has been arrested after allegedly lunging with a knife toward an Israeli tent at the Edmonton Heritage Festival on Monday.
Social media footage circulated on Wednesday showing the shadow of an individual attempting to slash an Israeli tent with a knife. The video then cut to security officers detaining the assailant in the main festival area, as chants of “All the Zionists are racists” were heard in the background.
A video shared on the X account Levithan shows the incident in progress, as well as subsequent detention of the suspect. The identity of the man has not been released.
A Somalian man attempted to get into the Israeli tent with a knife at the Edmonton Heritage Festival, but was thankfully thwarted & arrested.
Upon arrest, his comrades chanted “All The Zionists Are Racist.”
If a Somalian tries to stab you & you happen to prevent that, the… pic.twitter.com/nZpBSLYWSy
— Leviathan (@l3v1at4an) August 5, 2026
The incident was similarly reported on the Instagram account Edmonton.
The post states that according to the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, “the man entered the area behind the pavilion and struck the tent with the blade before a volunteer intervened and security detained him.”
Stacey Leavitt-Wright, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, confirmed the incident in an email to National Post, stating that “ this is still an active police investigation and we are (holding off on) official comments until an announcement (comes) from EPS about the charges.”
National Post has reached out to Edmonton police for further details.
In her Shabbat message today, shared with National Post, Leavitt-Wright wrote: “By now, most of you have seen or heard about an incident that took place midway through the festival and is currently the subject of a police investigation … Immediately after the incident at the kitchen tent, dancers who were about to go onstage for the 3 p.m. show were whisked to shelter in place at the culture tent, along with staff and volunteers.
“Once we received the all-clear, they too were given a choice: perform a shortened show or not dance at all. While loud chants of “all Zionists are racists” and “one solution, revolution” permeated the air, they chose to dance. I cannot imagine what they were feeling inside, but I saw it culminate in a triumphant display of resolve and pride…”
The Abraham Global Peace Initiative posted on X on Thursday that it was “horrified by reports that an armed man breached the Israel Pavilion at Edmonton’s Heritage Festival and lunged toward its kitchen tent with a knife before being restrained and arrested. This was not protest; it was an alleged act of violence against a cultural pavilion celebrating Israeli and Jewish life.”
AGPI CONDEMNS KNIFE ATTACK AT EDMONTON’S ISRAEL PAVILION
The Abraham Global Peace Initiative is horrified by reports that an armed man breached the Israel Pavilion at Edmonton’s Heritage Festival and lunged toward its kitchen tent with a knife before being restrained and… pic.twitter.com/sCx0asTUhc
— Avi Abraham Benlolo (@AviBenlolo) August 6, 2026
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