The suspect, who had attacked a policeman and rammed a van into pedestrians in the city of Edmonton, was identified as Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, a 30-year old Somalian refugee, The Globe and Mail, one of Canada’s largest daily newspapers, reported Sunday.
In 2015, investigators from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received a note about a young man sharing extremist views. At the time, an investigation was launched, and Sharif and others were questioned by the police.
Late on Saturday, a car crashed into a police barricade near Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, after which the driver approached a policeman and stabbed him several times. He fled the scene on foot, prompting a large-scale manhunt in the city. According to Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht, a flag of the terrorist group Daesh (ISIS) was found in the vehicle.
At midnight police managed to locate the suspect in a van trying to escape. During the pursuit, the suspect deliberately hit four pedestrians; eventually, the van flipped. The attacker was taken into custody and a criminal investigation into his act of terrorism was launched. The victims are currently being treated in a hospital in Edmonton.
