Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first. A deadly attack at a Toronto erotic massage parlour three months ago is now being treated as an act of terrorism after police allegedly uncovered evidence it was inspired by misogynist incel ideology.
Charges against the suspect accused of carrying out the Feb. The suspect, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was also charged with terrorism for the alleged attempted murder of the woman who survived.
He was already facing first-degree and attempted murder charges, but the development means police believe the incident was terrorism-related. A police source told Global News the suspect had said he wanted to kill as many women as possible.
The woman who survived the attack said in an interview she was pleased with the terrorism charges and that Canadians should be more informed about incels. Almost 50 deaths in Canada and the United States have been linked to incels, leading to calls to treat their actions as a form of domestic terrorism. Canadian authorities had been reluctant to make use of federal anti-terrorism laws following incidents such as the Toronto van attack, preferring to charge suspects with non-terrorism offences.
Nor were Quebec mosque gunman Alexandre Bissonnette or Abdulahi Sharif , who targeted pedestrians and police with a van in Edmonton in Instead, they were charged with murder or attempted murder. But the decision to prosecute the massage parlour attack as terrorism may signal a new approach by the authorities, a willingness to bring terrorism charges when warranted, and an acknowledgement that a broader range of groups are active in extremist violence.
