Toronto’s police chief says there is no evidence to support a claim by the Islamic State terror group that it was behind a deadly shooting in the city’s Greektown district.
Mark Saunders says his force will continue to “explore every investigative avenue,” but there’s no information linking ISIL to the attack.
The Islamic State claimed that one of its “soldiers” carried out the attack in response to its calls to target citizens of the U.S-led coalition battling it. The claim appears on one of the group’s social media channels, and a security member of the group was quoted speaking to the group’s Amaq news agency.
Saunders says investigators have “no evidence to support these claims.”
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“Accurate information about this investigation will only be released by the Toronto Police Service,” Saunders said in a statement. “We will continue to explore every investigative avenue including interviewing those who knew Mr. Hussain, reviewing his online activity, and looking into his experiences with mental health.”
An 18-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl were killed in Sunday night’s shooting, and 13 others were injured. The gunman, who has been identified as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, was found dead nearby.
Hussain’s parents have said their son had severe mental health issues all his life and had not responded to treatment.
The federal public safety minister has said Hussain was not on any federal watchlists associated with national security.
The Canadian Press
