Canadian Police Identify Driver in Pedestrian Attack

Toronto police announced that the driver who hit pedestrians is named Alek Minassian. According to police, at least 10 people were killed and 16 injured in this attack. Canadian police investigations into the motive for this attack are ongoing.

Mark Saunders, Toronto Police Chief, stated that Alek Minassian, the perpetrator of the attack in Toronto, intentionally drove his vehicle into pedestrians. He was arrested by police following the attack. Minassian is 25 years old and lived in northern Toronto.

Ralph Goodale, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, stated that the Toronto incident does not threaten Canada’s national security. According to him, this action was an individual act. Although Canadian authorities have stated that Alek Minassian’s action was intentional, they have not disclosed whether this act had terrorist motives.

The incident occurred on the same day that foreign ministers from seven industrialized nations gathered in Toronto to prepare for a summit of these countries’ leaders. This incident took place approximately 30 kilometers away from the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting location. Heiko Maas, Germany’s Foreign Minister who participated in this gathering, described the Toronto incident as a “brutal crime.”

Investigations into the motive behind Minassian’s attack on pedestrians are still ongoing. In recent years, vehicle-ramming attacks on crowds have been one of the methods of terrorism, claiming many lives in various countries.

Details of the Event

Alek Minassian drove his vehicle into pedestrians on busy Yonge Street near its intersection with Finch Street at 1:26 p.m. on Monday (April 23/May 3). The vehicle’s speed during this incident was between 60 to 70 kilometers per hour, and he struck pedestrians over a distance of one and a half kilometers. In this incident, 10 people were killed and 16 injured, with the condition of 5 of the wounded reported as critical.