Canadian police have arrested a driver who plowed his van into pedestrians in Toronto Monday, killing 10 and injuring 15.
Police gave identified the suspect as Alek Minassian and have provided no other information about him. But the CBC reports government officials say he has no ties to any organized terrorist group and is not a threat to Canadian national security.
Deputy police chief Peter Yuen said there were several witnesses and appealed to anyone who saw what happened to speak up. He said the investigation would be long and complex.
“The city’s in safe hands at the moment,” Mayor John Tory assured residents, calling Monday’s event an “awful tragedy.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his thoughts were with all those affected and thanked first responders who rushed to the scene.
Witnesses said the van jumped the curb along the busy street in northern Toronto that was packed with office workers and shoppers.
Although police have yet to say whether this was intentional or a horrible accident, several witnesses said it clearly looked like the driver was targeting people as he sped down the sidewalk as fast as 80 kilometers per hour.
“This person was intentionally doing this. He was killing everybody,” one man told CNN. “He kept going. He kept going. People were getting hit, one after another.”
The van traveled more than one kilometer before stopping and the suspect arrested.
Authorities have also declined to identify any of the victims. But those who saw the van striking people reported seeing the elderly and a baby stroller flying in the air. | via Voice of America
