Terror charges in truck attack
Edmonton mayor: ‘It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence’
EDMONTON — Police say terrorism charges are pending against a suspect arrested after a series of violent attacks that saw an Edmonton officer stabbed and several pedestrians run down by a truck.
Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht did not release the 30-year- old suspect’s name, but said that five charges of attempted murder are also expected to be filed along with dangerous driving and possession of a weapon.
“From all indications, it appears that this was a single individual acting alone,” he said Sunday.
RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand said the suspect has been on the radar of authorities since 2015 when a complaint was filed suggesting he may have been radicalized. RCMP investigated and interviewed the suspect, he said.
“At the end of that exhaustive investigation there was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges or a peace bond,” Degrand said. “Further, the suspect was actually not deemed, at that time, to pose a threat to the security of Canada.”
Degrand said the suspect is from Somalia. The federal Public Safety Department said the man has refugee status.
It took place over more than four hours, starting with an attack on an officer outside a football game at 8:15 p.m. Saturday night, leading hours later to a multicar high-speed police chase through downtown that saw four pedestrians run over by the suspect as he twisted and turned his cube van through alleys and cross streets.
It ended when the suspect’s truck crashed onto its side, with police handcuffing and hauling him away.
No one was killed in the rampage and police say no shots were ever fired.
The police officer who was attacked, Const. Mike Chernyk, was released from hospital with cuts to his head and face and scrapes on his arm.
Of the four people hit by the truck, two had been released from care as of Sunday afternoon, while the other two remained in hospital. One person suffered a fractured skull and was initially in critical condition, but had since been upgraded to stable.
“It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence,” Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said.
“Terrorism is about creating panic and about sowing divide and about disrupting people’s lives. We can succumb to that or we can rise above it.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violent events overnight as a “terrorist attack” and a “senseless act of violence.”
“Early reports indicate that this is another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against,” Trudeau said in a statement. “We cannot — and will not — let violent extremism take root in our communities.”
Police say it began outside Commonwealth Stadium, northeast of downtown, in a game between the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
It was military appreciation night. Canada’s chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip and two CF-18 fighter jets did a flypast before kickoff.
Outside the stadium, a police officer with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier, sending the officer flying five metres through the air.
The Malibu driver then got out and began stabbing the officer.
“He was stabbed several times and he was able to fend off the attacker even after getting thrown through the air after being struck by the vehicle,” said Det. Bob Walsh, president of the Edmonton Police Association.
Footage shows them both getting to their feet and the driver running across the street while the officer slowly follows him into traffic.
“He followed him for a little bit and radioed ahead to let them (police) know what had happened,” said Walsh.
Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht said an Islamic State flag was found in the front seat of the Malibu.
The manhunt was on. Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter with the suspect, now driving a UHaul cube van, east of the stadium just after midnight.
The chase came to an end outside the Matrix Hotel when the van rolled on its side. Witnesses said they saw the suspect being pulled from the vehicle through the broken windshield and then placed in handcuffs.