Five injured, suspect arrested as Canadian police probe ‘act of terrorism’

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A police officer was stabbed and at least four pedestrians were injured near the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada on Saturday evening local time. Police have confirmed they are treating it as an act of terrorism.

One suspect is in custody, said Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht, adding that police believe the suspect acted alone.

Knecht also said that an ISIL flag was discovered in the suspect’s vehicle.

The crime spree began Saturday evening outside a football stadium in the city of Edmonton and ended hours later with a high speed chase in which the driver of a rented truck plowed into pedestrians, police said.

At approximately 8:15 pm a man in a speeding white Chevy Malibu crashed through police barricades outside an Edmonton stadium where a Canadian Football League game was being played.

The car struck a police officer standing in front of his patrol car, "sending him flying 15-feet through the air."

"A male, believed to be 30 years of age, then jumped out of his vehicle and began viciously stabbing the officer with a knife, as a struggle ensued," the police statement said.

The suspect then fled on foot and the police officer was rushed to hospital. Just before midnight, police pulled over a rental U-Haul truck and noticed that the name on the driver's license was similar to that of the white Malibu.

The man in the truck then took off toward downtown Edmonton, according to the police account. "During the chase, the U-Haul truck deliberately attempted to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys," it said.

"Currently, it is believed four pedestrians were struck by the truck and transported to hospital with multiple injuries," it said.

The chase ended when the truck flipped over, and the driver was arrested. Police described him as a 30-year-old from Edmonton.

Source(s): AFP