Police probe Canadian car attacks and stabbing as ‘acts of terrorism’

TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian police said they were investigating violent attacks in Edmonton on Saturday night as “acts of terrorism” after a man hit a police officer with a car and stabbed him and then later struck four pedestrians while driving a second vehicle.

The officer and the other victims were taken to the hospital for treatment of multiple injuries, police in the western Canadian city said.

Canada’s CTV News said the officer was expected to recover, though further details on the condition of the victims was not immediately available.

The Edmonton Police Service said in a statement it believed the suspect acted alone, although the investigation is in its early stages. An Islamic State flag was found in the Chevrolet Malibu that struck the officer, CTV reported, citing police.

Police said the suspect, believed to be 30, crashed the car through a barricade and hit the officer at about 8:15 p.m. local time, sending him flying 15 feet into the air and onto a police cruiser. The suspect then jumped out of the car, stabbed him and fled the scene, police said.

Later that evening, police at a checkpoint identified a man driving a U-Haul vehicle as the owner of the Malibu.

The suspect fled the scene and deliberately hit pedestrians as police pursued him, sending at least four people to the hospital with injuries, authorities said.

Police arrested the suspect after the vehicle flipped over during the pursuit.

“We ask that our citizens remain vigilant and observant of their surroundings and contact police should they notice any other unusual activities around the city,” police said in the statement.