Explosion at Indian restaurant in Canada wounds 15 people
TORONTO — Investigators were seeking two suspects Friday after an explosion caused by a homemade bomb ripped through an Indian restaurant at a mall in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, wounding 15 people, Canadian police said.
Police said two people with their faces covered to conceal their identity entered the Bombay Bhel restaurant late Thursday, dropped the improvised explosive device and fled. Ontario’s Peel Regional Police Sgt. Matt Bertram said an object resembling a pail or paint can was carried by one of the suspects in his hand into the crowded restaurant where children were present.
“There is no indication that this is a terrorism act. There is no indication that this is a hate crime at this time. We haven’t ruled anything out as we start our investigation,” said Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans.
“Every police resource is being used right now to locate the people responsible for this horrendous act.”
Peel police said Friday all the injured have been released from the hospital. Officials initially said three Indian-Canadians suffered critical injuries and were being treated while the remaining 12 victims suffered what Evans described as minor and superficial injuries. The ages of the injured range from 23 to 69. Children under the age of 10 were present but were not hurt.
The explosion happened just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, and the plaza where the restaurant is located was still sealed off Friday. Television footage showed an injured woman limping away from the restaurant.
“Nothing was said by these individuals,” Bertram said. “It appears they just went in, dropped off this device and took off right away.”
Police asked for the public’s help and released a photo of the suspects, both with dark hoodies pulled over their heads and their faces covered.
Peel regional police described the first suspect as someone in his mid-20s with a stocky build, wearing dark blue jeans and a baseball cap with a light gray bill. The second suspect was described as a little shorter with a thin build, wearing faded blue jeans, a gray T-shirt and dark-colored skate shoes.
Rafael Conceicao, a student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was near the restaurant when the explosion occurred. He said there was a child’s birthday party inside the restaurant at the time.
“Glass was broken in the street … Everything was destroyed. Lots of blood on the floor. Many people were screaming. They were trying to run out from the restaurant,” he said.
Evans said there were two separate family parties happening at the time.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she was thankful there were no fatalities.
“I would call it a very heinous, reprehensible act committed by cowards who came into a restaurant where people are vulnerable, celebrating with their families and where children are present,” she said.
“This is certainly not anything you would expect to happen in Mississauga, not my Mississauga. This is not the Mississauga I know.”
The explosion comes a month after a driver of a van plowed into pedestrians in Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring 14. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. But they have said the arrested driver, Alek Minassian, posted a message on social media referencing a misogynistic online community before the attack.