St. Albert man charged after Muslim man attacked, allegedly called racial slurs
Posted May 7, 2026 4:49 pm.
Last Updated May 7, 2026 5:05 pm.
Police say a St. Albert man has been charged after a man was assaulted and allegedly called racial slurs last week.
Civil liberties groups have described the May 1 assault on Ali Wahad Noor as “violent Islamophobia,” though St. Albert RCMP are not saying if hate was a factor in their submission to an Alberta Justice Crown Prosecutor.
Ryan Richard Lacasse, 40, has been charged with aggravated assault and uttering threats. He’s also facing two Traffic Safety Act offences.
Mounties say multiple calls came in from witnesses about the daytime assault on Poirier Avenue and Parkwood Drive. Witnesses reported that racial slurs and anti-immigrant comments were made by the suspect during the assault.
Lacasse was arrested shortly after; Noor was injured and treated in hospital.
“Your local RCMP is taking this incident extremely seriously, and we are investigating fully, including the indication of racial slurs being uttered,” said Insp. Aaron White, the officer in charge of the St. Albert RCMP, on Wednesday.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) says Noor and his wife were driving back home from the Muslim Association of St. Albert when the alleged “brutal” assault occurred.
“The man was allegedly slammed to the ground, and was accosted with racial obscenities, the attacker called him a ‘(expletive) immigrant,’ insulted Islam, used the N-word and threatened to kill him. He suffered a laceration to his right eye and pavement burns,” according to the NCCM.
Friends of Noor’s have shared with CityNews pictures of injuries to his face and arm.
Lacasse is scheduled to appear in court on June 8. The allegations against him have not been tested in court.
