Man filmed committing 'hateful act' against mother identified by Montreal police

Montreal police say they have identified a man seen in a widely shared video verbally harassing a woman and a crying child.

The woman in the video has told media outlets she believes the incident was racially motivated, starting after the man heard her speaking Arabic on the street.

Police said today they identified the man in the video after receiving a tip from the public. A police spokesman says investigators met him within the past 24 hours.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante had appealed to the public to help identify the man in the video, describing his actions in a tweet this week as a hateful act against a mother and her daughter.

In the video, first posted online on July 23, the man approaches a woman who is not seen on camera and uses a vulgar term to insult her. He then bends down to a crying child, who is also not seen on video, and asks if he can have sex with the child's mother.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and did not release any other information.