The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s federal police force, have laid terror charges against a 27-year-old man in connection with a stabbing at a Toronto military recruitment centre on March 14, 2016.
Ayanle Hassan Ali has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of committing assault causing bodily harm, three counts of committing assault using a weapon, and one count of carrying a weapon dangerous to the public, for the benefit of a terrorist group, said a statement from the RCMP.
These new charges, filed by the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) in Ontario, are in addition to charges laid by the Toronto Police Service on March 15, 2016.
“Terrorism-related charges require a significant investigation, which can be time-consuming,” said Assistant Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, Commanding Officer of RCMP “O” Division. “I would like to highlight the efforts of our INSET here in Ontario which worked diligently to obtain the evidence required for these charges.”
The investigators did not elaborate on the evidence they have collected. It’s also not clear which terror group Ali is alleged to be affiliated with.
The Montreal-born man is alleged to have attacked three people at the military recruiting centre in Toronto. He is accused of stabbing two uniformed soldiers and attempting to stab a female soldier before he was overpowered and arrested.
Witnesses at the scene quoted Ali saying that “Allah told me to come here and kill people.”
In a court appearance in late March, Ali was ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric assessment.
The stabbing in the north Toronto military recruitment centre followed deadly attacks in October, 2014, in which two Canadian Forces soldiers were killed in separate incidents by deranged extremists who declared their allegiance to the Islamic State.
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