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www.oalcvillebeaver.com M an c h a rg e d Halton facility escapes damage By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Fifty children, from tots to teens, were attending religious school at a mosque in Burlington, Saturday morn ing, when a man threw a Molotov cocktail at the building. Lucidly, no one was injured. The firebomb -- a 26-ounce bottle filled with gasoline that was set on fire via a rag wick -- was thrown at the Halton Mosque, 4310 Fairview St., just 40 minutes before a second simi lar Molotov cocktail was hurled at mosque in Mississauga. A 35-year-old Oakville man was arrested in connection with both inci dents. Kendrick House faces charges of arson, possession of incendiary mate rial and two counts of using explo sives. He is scheduled to appear at a bail hearing today. Halton Regional Police and Peel Regional Police collaborated on the investigation of the firebombings and the suspect was arrested at an Oakville home, not his own, around 5 p.m. Saturday. Halton Regional Police spokesper son Sgt. Val Hay said the Molotov cocktail was tossed at the Burlington mosque around 9:30 a.m. The homemade device fell short of its target and started a small grass fire. "A class of kids was inside, about 50 who were all school-aged. They were studying Islamic language and (See `Neighbour' page A8) in m o s q u e b o m b i n g s Police chief says Halton is safe By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Halton is a safe community with zero tolerance for hate-motivated crimes, says the region's chief of police. "We do have a safe society and a safe community," said Halton Regional Police Chief Ean Algar. He called the throwing o f a M olotov cocktail at the Halton M osque on Fairview Street in Burlington last Saturday morning "an isolated incident." Algar assured that no one in Halton should be afraid, Muslim or nonMuslim. Algar was on his way to the Carousel o f Nations ceremony in Oakville -- which was co-sponsored by the Halton Police and Halton Multicultural Council -- when the firebombing attem pt occurred in Burlington, He went immediately to the mosque so that it was "a friend asking a friend how they could help," he said. "Members of the public are respon sible and neighbours are looking out for neighbours," said Algar. While the firebomb caused mini mal property damage, Algar said it was "the act itself," as well as the "potential it had to do serious harm" that drew him to the scene. Algar said Sept. 11 terrorist attack is "helping pull the community togeth er and people are realizing what's important to them and to each other." (See 'Police' page A8) Photo by Chantal Ayotte Dean El-Sedfy, president of the Halton Islamic Association, outside the Burlington mosque: neighbours spotted suspect in adjacent field. Victim of traffic accident loved skating & teaching sport A m em orial fund to help young skaters has been set up in the nam e o f a young O akville m an killed in a traffic accident early Saturday m orning. A m edal-w inning ju n io r free skater and a novice ice dancer. Tom R itter, 20, was also a coach w ith the C anadian Ice A cadem y in M ississauga. A funeral service was held for him yester day at Knox Presbyterian Church. In lieu o f flow ers, the fam ily is asking that d o n atio n s be m ade to the Tom R itter M em orial Fund through Skate Canada. R itter was killed instantly when the car he was driving struck a hydro pole on M cCraney Street East less than tw o kilom etres from his hom e at 2:10 a.m ., Saturday. A M cM aster U niversity student, R itter had called his m other at 10 p.m. from the A rbour Cafe in dow ntow n O akville to say h e'd be hom e in 90 m inutes. He told his m other the music was great and h e'd be home by 11:30 p.m. so he could get a good night's sleep. Tom and his mother, Jay Ritter, were both scheduled to coach figure skating and ice dancing first thing the next m orning at the Canadian Ice A cadem y in M ississauga. The band played until m idnight and the cafe closed at 12:30 p.m. Tom R itter d id n 't go home. Jay R itter went to sleep but at 2:15 a.m., she woke with a start. "It was like som eone was w hacking m e," Jay said. "I d o n 't know why. I think I ju st had a feel ing." She went dow nstairs to find her other son, 21-year-old Eric, w atching television. He told her Tom w asn't home yet. Ritter tried her son's cellphone, but could n 't get through. She drove to the O akville T rafalgar M em orial H ospital, hoping Tom m ight be vis iting his father who was recently adm itted w ith a prolonged fever. N ot finding her son, she drove back home and tried not to panic. Then at 4:30 a.m. she saw H alton police pull up outside her house w ith social workers from Victim Services. She w ent outside and heard the worst. R itter was in his second year o f social sci ences studies at M cM aster and he planned to becom e a physiotherapist. Figure skating consum ed m ost o f his w ak ing hours, but he also found tim e to work at W al-M art, draw pictures o f w olves, spend time with friends and play the guitar. "It's such a w aste," his m other said. "He packed a lot into those years. He tried every thing." D onations to the Tom R itter M em orial Fund, Skate Canada, C entral O ntario, 150 Jardin D rive, U nit 7, C oncord, O ntario, L4K 3P9, c/o Joan Stevens. -With file s fro m the Torstar Wire Service S in g le ca r crash claim s 2 0 -y e a r-o ld w o m a n A funeral service will be held tomorrow for a 20-year-old Oakville woman killed in a single-car accident on Regional Road 25 early Sunday morning. Stacy Udris was returning home from her boyfriend's home in Milton at 12:39 a.m. when she lost control of her 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier and veered into a ditch near the Bumhamthorpe Road intersec tion. Halton Regional Police said the car rolled several times and Udris, its lone occupant, was thrown from the vehicle. She was taken to Hamilton General Hospital where she Stacy Udris died of her injuries. Police said alcohol did not appear to be a factor. The roads were wet at the time of the accident. Udris was a dental assistant who worked in Oakville. She graduated from George Brown College in Toronto last June. She was a graduate of T. A. Blakelock High School. Her aunt Jennifer Matson lamented that her niece had so much to look forward to in her life. (See `Young' page A2) M a n w ith b o m b in c a r p le a d s g u ilt y to o ffe n s e s By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Less than two weeks after he was found in Bronte with a bomb in his car, a 23-year-old Scarborough man entered a guilty plea in Oakville provincial court. Yesterday, Mohamed Attia, of Huntingdale Boulevard, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of an explo sive substance, including gunpowder that was equipped with a detonation device. He also pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana, driving without a driver's licence, and without car insurance. Attia, who has been in police cus tody since his arrest will remain in jail until his sentencing on Nov. 6. Last week, Attia was denied bail and remained in jail on the issue of public safety. A publication ban was placed on all evidence presented at the bail hearing. Yesterday, the Crown opted not to publicly read any evidence into the court record, waiting instead until the sentencing date. Crown Attorney Laurie Jago said (See `Man' page A8) I j j f V ·3 or [Editorials..................... Focus.......................... m Sports......................... r* Oassified.................... Automotive...........................D6 Special Supplements: H o n e d e liv e iy :P a rtyC ity fatal d e S v e fy :M 8 M M e a ts,S p o tC h e k ,A lean tanC ap ets,T h eB a ) R o n aH e w y ,R o n aC a sh w a y ,G in osP m a. H o u seo fH e a h ti,L iv in g IL ig h tin g ,P a rtyP a c k a g e rs, 5 e a » iF u tu reS h o p tla k e sh o reP la c e ,T o y sR U s , S v v issC h a le t.F o re v e r'y b isig .W h a t' sU p lC id iL y so t C A R O U S E L O F N ATIO N S: A dancer from the Hawaiian Pavilion at the weekend's Carousel of Nations got the audience moving. For more on the event, See Focus. D r. 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