10 people killed, 15 injured as van hits pedestrians

A driver deliberately ploughed his white rental van into a lunch-hour crowd in Toronto on Monday, killing 10 people and injuring 15.

The incident – which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a “tragic and senseless attack” – was one of the most violent in recent Canadian history.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders identified the suspect as Alek Minassian, 25, who he said had not previously been known to authorities.

“The actions definitely looked deliberate,” he told a late-night news conference close to the site of the incident in the northern section of Canada’s biggest city, noting the van had been driven along sidewalks.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp, citing government officials, said Minassian was not associated with any organised militant group.

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, standing next to Saunders, said: “There would appear to be no national security connections.”

The driver steered his vehicle towards people just before 1:30 p.m. (1730 GMT). A Reuters witness saw at least two tarp-covered bodies at the site of the incident.

The CBC aired a video it said was shot by a bystander that showed police arresting a suspect at the scene as he shouted: “Kill me” and pointed an unidentified object at an officer.

The video later showed what appeared to be the same man lying down, being handcuffed.