Trudeau, Goodale Try to Reassure Canadians and The World in Wake of Deadly Van Attack

The Trudeau government sought to reassure a shocked nation and visiting allies Tuesday that the horrific event that unfolded on a busy Toronto street 24 hours earlier was a random act of violence — and not part of an organized plot.

The scene on Yonge Street Monday afternoon — after a man drove a van through a crowd of pedestrians, killing 10 and injuring 14 in what paramedics called an event of “pure carnage” — was something straight out of a counter-terrorism officer’s worst nightmares.

Security analysts call them “soft targets” — unsecured public spaces where a lone attacker can do maximum damage.

What to do about them was part of the discussion at the G7 security ministers’ conference which took place in downtown Toronto over the past three days — just 17 kilometres from the scene of the tragedy.

Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, Ont., is expected to be charged with a 14th count of attempted murder in addition to the 10 counts of first-degree murder he already faces.

Government officials briefed on the investigation say that, so far, the suspect is not associated with any organized terrorist group and does not represent a larger threat to national security.

The message was reinforced from the top down Tuesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sought to reassure the country.

“Obviously, all Canadians continue and will continue to have questions about why this happened, what could possibly be the motives behind it,” he said in the foyer of the House of Commons. “As was indicated last night, at this time we have no reason to suspect that there is any national security element to this attack, but obviously, the investigations continue.”

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale delivered the same message to the G7 ministers, many of whom personally expressed their sympathy to him before the opening of Tuesday’s talks.

He spoke privately and at length with U.S. Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti.

Ben Wallace, Britain’s minister of state for security, spoke glowingly about the RCMP and Canada’s security services, but his public remarks were cut off as journalists were hustled out of the room by organizers.

Before the closed-door session, Goodale described the incident as a “very large homicide investigation” and heaped praise on first responders.

“Police officers and first responders are amazing people, as we all know within our respective jurisdictions,” he said.

“They do truly remarkable work, and we are grateful to them for their exceptional efforts in cases of emergency.”
Many of the nations sitting around the table have faced similar attacks — by terrorists and others. Goodale said after Tuesday’s meeting that there was a clear lesson here for every country: “Think through your potential vulnerabilities in advance.”

That, the minister said, is something the federal government does on a regular basis.
Regardless of how the police probe unfolds, Monday’s attack is a reminder of the enormous challenges involved in securing ordinary public venues from extraordinary threats.

“The work of government and ministers obviously goes on,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said not long after Monday’s attack. “This is a very sad day for the people of Toronto and the people of Canada.”

Courtesy : CBC news
Photo : www.nbcnews.com

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