Search for suspects after blast injures 15 at Indian restaurant
Police say nothing to indicate attack was a hate crime or act of terrorism
Rob Gillies in Toronto
An explosion caused by an “improvised explosive device” ripped through an Indian restaurant in a mall in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, wounding 15 people, Canadian police said last night.
Peel Region Sergeant Matt Bertram said two suspects with their faces covered to conceal their identity entered the Bombay Bhel restaurant, dropped some sort of IED device and fled.
“We have no indication to call it a hate crime or any kind of terrorism act,” Bertram said.
Peel Region paramedic Joe Korstanje said three people suffered critical injuries and were taken to the hospital while the remaining 12 victims suffered what he described as minor and superficial injuries.
Police later updated the condition of the three critically injured patients to stable.
The explosion happened just after 10.30pm Thursday local time, and the plaza where the restaurant is located was still sealed off last night.
“Nothing was said by these individuals,” Bertram said. “It appears they just went in, dropped off this device, and took off right away.”
Bertram said they could not yet say what the device was.
“Different callers called in and said it was firecrackers or some said gunshot sort of noises. I don’t think it was an explosion that was rocking anything,” he said.
“Until we can get in there and analyse the material after the search warrant we won’t be able to say what it was.” Andre Larrivee, who lives in a nearby condo, said he was watching television and heard a loud explosion. “It was really loud,” he said, comparing the noise to an electric generator that had exploded at a nearby construction site recently.
Police asked for the public’s help and released a photo of the suspects, with dark hoodies pulled over their heads and their faces covered.
Peel region police, in a tweet, described the first suspect as in his mid20s, about 182cm tall with a stocky build, wearing dark blue jeans, a dark zip-up hoodie and a baseball cap with a light grey cap.
The second suspect is described as a little shorter with a thin build, wearing faded blue jeans, a dark zip-up hoodie pulled over his head, grey T-shirt and dark coloured skate shoes.
Hours after the incident, the Indian consulate in Toronto tweeted it had opened a helpline for those seeking assistance following the explosion.
Vikas Swarup, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, tweeted that India’s Consul General in Toronto visited the injured in the hospital. He also said the three Indian-Canadians who were reported to be critically injured were stable.
The restaurant describes itself online as an authentic, casual Indian dining experience.