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6 year oldNine people are dead and 16 others are injured after a van driver plowed into a number of pedestrians Monday in the Yonge Street and Finch Avenue area of North York in Toronto.
One suspect is in custody.
CBC News has confirmed that Alek Minassian, a 25-year-old Richmond Hill, Ont., man, is the alleged driver in the attack. His LinkedIn profile identifies him as a student at Seneca College.
Government officials briefed on the investigation so far say the suspect is not associated with any organized terrorist group and he 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 investigation.
"This is going to be a long investigation," Yuen said. There were numerous witnesses and surveillance cameras in the area, he said.
Police were called to the Yonge and Finch area for a report of a crash around 1:30 p.m. after a van mounted the curb and hit pedestrians on the sidewalk before being stopped by police.
"There were a lot of pedestrians out enjoying, a lot of witnesses out enjoying the sunny afternoon," Yuen said. Police are establishing two hotlines — one for victims and their families, and the other for witnesses to call in information related
to the incident.
Amir Bahmeyeh, a student, was in the area at the time of the attack.
"I saw the crazy van, like a rental van, hitting the people … one after one," he said. "I'm sure it was like a terrorist attack because he drove really fast, like crazy.<p>They have been blasted from car stereos on the streets of New York City, played by DJs at nightclubs across the US, dubbed into Chinese on TikTok and inspired merengue songs...