'It's catastrophic': Ten dead, 15 injured in Toronto 'van attack'

Canada is mourning the loss of 10 people killed by the driver of a rental van who deliberately mowed down pedestrians in Toronto.

As the sun set in Toronto in the hours after the attack, mourners were seen embracing and holding candlelight vigils at makeshift memorials for the victims covered with bouquets of flowers.

The memorials began to pop up around the city for the victims of the tragedy, some including banners that were erected to remember those who were killed.

Mourners in Toronto light candles at a makeshift memorial for the victims mown down by the rental van. Picture: AP/The Canadian Press

Farzad Salehi consoles his wife, Mehrsa Marjani, who was at a nearby cafe and witnessed the carnage. Picture: AP/The Canadian Press

The city's famous landmark, the CN Tower, which is normally lit up, remained dark to honour those lost.

The incident occurred just before 1.30pm (3.30am AEST) today as large crowds of office workers were on lunch breaks.

Witnesses said the driver, identified as 25-year-old Alek Minassian, deliberately targeted the victims - killing 10 people and injuring 15 more.

Before his arrest, Minassian could be seen pointing an object at the arresting officer. Although it appeared to be a gun, local media is reporting it may have been a mobile phone.

After a dramatic standoff at the scene where he was heard yelling at a police officer to "shoot him", Minassian was taken into custody.

The 25-year-old is not known to police and is from the nearby town of Richmond Hill, located just north of Toronto.

A former Thornleigh High School classmate of Minassian's, Ari Bluff, told Canada's CBC News that he mostly appeared as an outsider who was always "sort of in the background".

Alek Minassian, 25, from Richmond Hill, Ontario

"I'm not sure if he had any very, very close friends, at least publicly," he said.

"I never saw him with a group of friends, generally. But whenever we would see him in the hallways, we'd always speak to him or say hi to him or whatnot.

"I remember seeing him probably just walking down the halls, usually by himself, or in the cafeteria by himself... My memory is not perfect, but certainly, it would not be, I don't think, a misstatement to say that he wasn't overly social."

In the hours after the attack Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders raised the initial death toll of nine to 10 at a news conference, saying another victim had died at a hospital and 15 others were hospitalised.

At least eight people were rushed to a local hospital.
Asked if there was any evidence of a connection to international terrorism, the chief said only, "based on what we have, there's nothing that has it to compromise the national security at this time."

"But the incident definitely looked deliberate."

A senior national government official said earlier that authorities had not turned over the investigation to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a sign that investigators believed it unlikely terrorism was the motive.

Authorities said witnesses were being interviewed and surveillance video was being examined.


After a dramatic standoff at the scene, the Minassian was taken into custody.

"He was just hitting people one by one, he hit every single person on the sidewalk," a witness told local media.

"Holy God I never seen anything like this in my life. He was going 60 to 70km/h on the sidewalk.

"This person was intentional, doing this he was killing everybody... this is terrorism stuff here."

Witness Peter Kang told Canada's CTV News that the driver did not seem to make any effort to stop.
"If it was an accident he would have stopped," Kang said.

"But the person just went through the sidewalk. He could have stopped."

Canada's Minister of public safety Ralph Goodale says the country has not changed its terrorism alert level and he has no information that would suggest a need to do so.

Meanwhile, thousands of fans gathered outside the Air Canada Centre as the Toronto Maple Leafs' faced off against the Boston Bruins in the NHL playoffs.
Security was dramatically increased to keep the crowds safe, with thousands of people huddled together watching the game on a large screen.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement, saying his thoughts are with those affected.

The United States and Europe have seen a string of deadly attacks in which vehicles were used to mow down pedestrians, including an October 31 attack in New York that killed eight.

Late last year 16 people, including young Australian boy Julian Cadman, were killed in Barcelona when a van drove down La Rambla. At least 130 others were injured.

A vehicle also slammed into pedestrians outside Melbourne's Flinders Station last year, injuring at least 19 people.
https://www.9news.com.au/world/2018/04/24/04/28/van-attack-toronto-canada-alek-minassian-multiple-people-killed