Deadly van 'attack' not part of organized terror plot, say government officials
Police confirm nine dead, 16 injured after van strikes pedestrians along Yonge St.
Peter Zimonjic · CBC News · Posted: Apr 23, 2018 4:51 PM ET | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago
Government officials briefed on Monday's deadly van attack in Toronto say the incident is not associated with an organized terrorist group and does not represent a larger threat to national security.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.
CBC News has confirmed that the man arrested after a rental van rammed a number of pedestrians near a busy intersection in Toronto is Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill. According to his LinkedIn page he's a student as Seneca College.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a press conference soon after the attack that he had no evidence to suggest Canada's national threat level needed to be raised.
"There is no information available to me at the present time that would indicate a change in the risk level," Goodale told reporters in Toronto, where he is attending the G7 foreign and security ministers meeting.
During his press conference, Goodale said he could not state whether the incident was being treated as a terror attack.
Shortly after Goodale spoke, Toronto police confirmed that nine people had been killed and another 16 were injured in the incident.
CBC