Imam Sayed Elnakib was stabbed around 5:30 a.m. in south Paterson while the congregation was kneeling for prayer, mosque spokesperson Abdul Hamdan told CNN.

The suspect, who is identified as Serif Zorba, was stopped and subdued by worshippers at the mosque on Getty Avenue.

Zorba is charged with first-degree attempted murder among other offenses. He is being held pending a court appearance Monday afternoon. He is also charged with two weapons offenses.

Authorities have not publicly revealed a possible motive for the attack.

Meanwhile, the 65-year-old Imam was rushed to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, where he is said to be in stable condition.

The spokesperson said that there were more than 200 worshipers in the mosque at the time of the attack.

Mayor Andre Sayegh also visited Elnakib in the hospital soon after the incident.

Sayegh said he was “in better spirits than before” Sunday afternoon and is being treated for a punctured lung.

The stabbing occurred during Ramazan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar.

Hate crime at mosque near Toronto

Canadian police arrested and charged a male suspect after what they called a “hate-motivated incident” at a mosque in the province of Ontario on Thursday in which he allegedly drove toward a worshipper and yelled threats and religious slurs, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in the city of Markham while the suspect, 28-year-old Sharan Karunakaran, was later arrested in Toronto, the York Regional Police said in a statement.

Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng condemned the incident and called it a hate crime, saying it had no place in Canadian society.

The Islamic Society of Markham (ISM) said an individual had entered the mosque in Markham, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Toronto, on Thursday and apparently torn a Koran and ranted at worshippers. The police statement released on Sunday did not mention the Koran being torn.

The incident comes during the Islamic holy month of Ramazan, when worshippers throng mosques. Thousands of people attend the mosque at Markham.

Police added they charged the suspect with uttering threats, assault with a weapon, and dangerous driving. His next scheduled appearance will be at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket on Tuesday.

“This violence and Islamophobia has no place in our communities,” the Canadian trade minister, who is a local member of parliament, said in a reaction to the incident.