TWO MEN ARE BEING HUNTED AFTER THEY WALKED INTO A BUSY INDIAN RESTAURANT WEST OF TORONTO AND DETONATED A BOMB, INJURING 15 PEOPLE. TWO BIRTHDAY PARTIES WERE GOING ON AT THE TIME.
15 injured; ‘no indication’ of terrorism
Raj Sapkota, a waiter at Bombay Bhel Indian restaurant in Mississauga, Ont., was in the kitchen preparing desserts when two men concealing their faces came in, set down a bomb in the reception area, then turned and ran.
It was 10:32 p.m. on Thursday. Many of the staff had already gone home. Two dinner parties, both about a dozen people, were still in the restaurant, one seated by the front window, the other in the middle of the room. One was a little boy’s birthday party, with balloons. Both sets of customers were longtime regulars, Sapkota said.
Between 10 and 15 seconds later, there was a loud bang. The blast shattered a set of interior glass doors and ripped open the ceiling. People started crying and shouting as the extent of their injuries became apparent. Blood ran onto the floor. There was not a lot of smoke, though there was a lingering smell like gasoline.
Sapkota said he saw “so many nails” from the bomb’s shrapnel, including one embedded in a woman’s leg. One person was bleeding from the stomach. “I think one is the birthday boy’s dad,” Sapkota said. “He was the most injured.”
“Everybody was screaming, panicking. They don’t know what to do. Everyone wanted to get out from the inside after the blast,” Sapkota said.
He gave them water. Five minutes later, police arrived and cleared the restaurant.
The attack has prompted a massive ongoing manhunt for the two suspects in this suburb west of Toronto, and although there is as yet no evidence of a terrorist motive, it stoked fears of terrorism in a city still raw from the experience of a lethal van rampage.
Police confirmed Friday afternoon that about 40 people were in the restaurant, including staff. Fifteen people were injured, three critically. None were children.
All have now been released from hospital.
They include a 35-year-old man from Brampton, whom the National Post understands to be the birthday boy’s father; a 62-year-old woman from Mississauga, whom Sapkota knows as a regular customer; and a 48-year-old woman from Mississauga. The other victims range in age from 23 to 69 years old.
“We’re in solidarity with the victims of this violence, and wish a swift recovery to the injured,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter.
He has eaten in the restaurant before, though he did not mention it.
Outside the restaurant, after the explosion, Sahar Alqudsi was walking to the drugstore with her husband when two cars sped past them and almost knocked them over, running red lights as they drove eastbound. Five minutes later, she saw police arrive.
Police have not indicated they are looking for a getaway car, and said the bombers are thought to have initially fled on foot.
That led to an intense ground search involving dogs on Thursday night, with officers searching through parked cars.
The first suspect is described by police as 5-10 to 6-feet tall, stocky build, mid20s, light skin, wearing dark blue jeans, dark-coloured zip-up hoodie pulled over his head, baseball cap with a light grey peak and his face covered with dark material.”
The second man is described as 5-9 to 5-10, fair skin, thin build, wearing faded blue jeans, dark zip-up hoodie with a brass coloured zipper and the hood pulled over his head, grey T-shirt, dark coloured skate shoes and his face covered with dark material.”
Sapkota, the waiter, said he did not recognize the masked bombers, and said it was not apparent that there was any specific human target to their attack. He said there is no history of vandalism or violence at the restaurant, and that staff were not aware of any reason the restaurant itself might be targeted.
“There’s no indication that this was a hate crime or an act of terror but nothing has been ruled out at this stage of the investigation,” Peel Region police Chief Jennifer Evans said at a Friday morning news conference.
Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga, said her city has received offers of help from many organization, including other police forces who are collaborating in the investigation.
She said: “Whoever has committed this heinous act needs to answer for their crimes.”