A Maple Ridge city councillor has taken a leave of absence after being charged with six criminal offences, including assault and firearm-related charges.

Ahmed Antar Yousef Mohamed, known publicly as Ahmed Yousef, is facing four counts of assault, one count of pointing a firearm at another person, and one count of unsafe storage of a firearm.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page Monday, Yousef said he would be stepping away from his council duties effective immediately to “focus his time and efforts on some personal matters.”