Edmonton Attack Suspect ‘Known To Police’
A Saturday evening attack in Edmonton, Alberta has been deemed a terror attack by authorities, according to The Globe And Mail.
According to reports, a Canadian Forces military appreciation night was in full swing as the football home team the Edmonton Eskimos took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. At around 8:15 pm MST, Constable Mike Chernyk was on duty directing traffic outside of Commonwealth Stadium when a white Chevy Malibu plowed through the barrier in place and sent him flying into the air. Shortly thereafter, as passerby went to help the fallen officer, the suspect exited the Malibu and promptly started stabbing the officer.
It did not take long for Alberta premier Rachel Notley to condemn the Edmonton attack.
“The horrific events last night in downtown Edmonton have left us shocked and angry,” she said in a Sunday morning news conference. “It’s left us shocked at the indiscriminate cruelty and angry that someone might target their hatred at places where we gather with our families and friends.”
To be sure, this was one of the first times that Alberta has seen such an indiscriminate attack since the war on terror began after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Edmonton attack has been described as “lone wolf” in nature, with the attacker having been on the radar of police forces since 2015.
CTV News reports that RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand explained that the suspect had been interviewed by police in 2015. Then, police were acting on reports that the suspect had been radicalized and determined that an interview was necessary. Insufficient evidence led the police to conclude that the suspect did not then pose a threat to Canada’s national security. The suspect is a Somali national who is currently living in Canada as a refugee.
#Breaking attacker in Edmonton terror attacks is a Somali national who is in Canada and has claimed refugee status #EdmontonAttack
— Mercedes Stephenson (@MercedesGlobal) October 1, 2017
Toronto Sun, as well as other publications, is reporting that Canada is currently embroiled in a bit of a refugee crisis as Haitians that once took refuge in the United States began to surge over the border into Quebec in an effort to escape Trump’s desire to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Canadian citizens who currently do not support the Liberal government’s apparent open acceptance of refugees will likely be turning to the Edmonton attack from Saturday as evidence that something needs to change as far as the Canadian approach to refugees goes.
Constable Chernyk did survive the attack with physical injuries more or less amounting to scrapes and bruises. Edmonton police is reporting that while Chernyk is doing well, the mental trauma from the Edmonton attack is something that he will take longer to recover from. Canada’s national security level is currently at medium in the wake of the attack, and while four were injured by the U-Haul that the suspect had apparently begun driving after abandoning the Malibu used in the attack against Chernyk, all appear to be working towards recovery.
Terror charges are currently pending against the suspect.
[Feature Image by Derek Leung/Getty Images]
