EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - A Somali refugee who had been on a watch list over extremist views faced five counts of attempted murder and terror charges on Sunday after Canadian police said he stabbed a police officer and ran down four pedestrians with a car in Edmonton, Alberta.

The suspect, a 30-year-old man whom police did not identify,

had been investigated two years ago for promoting extremist ideology but was not deemed a threat, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Marlin Degrand said an “exhaustive investigation” into the man in 2015 did not uncover sufficient evidence to pursue charges.

Canadian media identified the suspect as Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, although Reuters was not immediately able to confirm his identity.

Police cordoned off an apartment block near downtown Edmonton and plainclothes officers were seen carrying large bags of equipment into the building.

The attacks in the western Canadian city began when a Chevy Malibu hit a police officer standing in front of a football stadium at about 8:15 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday (10.15 p.m. ET), sending him flying into the air.

The driver got out of the car and stabbed the officer multiple times before fleeing, according to police accounts and surveillance footage of the incident.

Police identified the suspect when he was stopped at a checkpoint and his license showed that he was the owner of the Malibu. He fled the checkpoint and was apprehended after a police chase across a downtown street, during which he hit four pedestrians.

A flag of the Islamic State militant group was found inside the Malibu, said Rod Knecht, police chief of Edmonton, Alberta’s provincial capital.

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson told reporters: “To the best of our knowledge, this was a lone-wolf attack. There’s no immediate cause for panic or concern.”

Edmonton Police investigate at the scene where a man hit pedestrians then flipped the U-Haul truck he was driving, pictured at the intersection at 107 Street and 100th Avenue in front of the Matrix Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Candace Elliott

U.S. national security agencies strongly leaned toward the conclusion that the suspect acted alone, although they were reviewing the matter, a U.S. official told Reuters.

The police officer, who had stab wounds to the head and face, was released from a hospital on Sunday along with two pedestrians. A third pedestrian was upgraded to stable from critical, while the fourth suffered a fractured skull and had regained consciousness.

On Sunday, two women were stabbed to death and their assailant shot dead by a soldier in the southern French port city of Marseille in what officials describe as a “likely terrorist act”.

TRUDEAU, ALBERTA MUSLIMS CONDEMN ATTACK

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Edmonton attack “another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against.” Canada’s government said it would keep the terrorist threat level at medium, where it has been since late 2014.

The Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council denounced the attack and hundreds attended a Sunday evening rally organized by the group.

“These types of acts, whether terrorism or not, seek to divide communities. We have to show that’s not going to happen, not in Edmonton,” said group spokesman Aurangzeb Qureshi.

Canada has been dealing in recent months with a surge in illegal border crossings by people seeking refugee status, which has renewed debate over whether it should tighten its borders.

The North American country has not experienced as much violence from extremist attacks as the United States and Western European nations, but there have been several deadly incidents in recent years.

In January, a French-Canadian university student was charged with murder after six people were shot and killed inside a Quebec City mosque, in what Trudeau called “a terrorist attack.”

In August 2016, Canadian police raided an Ontario home and killed Aaron Driver, who they said was an Islamic State supporter preparing an attack on a Canadian city with a homemade bomb.

Slideshow (8 Images)

In 2014, Canada was stunned by two deadly attacks that police said were the work of homegrown radicals and led to tougher new anti-terrorism measures.

A gunman killed a soldier at Ottawa’s national war memorial before launching an attack on the Canadian Parliament in October 2014. In the same week, a man ran down two soldiers in Quebec, killing one.

In 2015, a videotape attributed to al Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist militant group behind a deadly 2013 attack on a Kenyan shopping center, threatened North American malls, including the West Edmonton Mall.</s>Edmonton police released disturbing video footage Sunday morning showing the first in a chain of events they are now investigating as an “act of terrorism.”

The video shows a white Chevrolet Malibu driving directly through a road barricade at an intersection near Commonwealth Stadium, hitting a police officer who goes flying through the air before he is then attacked.

The stabbing of a police officer and a subsequent high-speed chase where several pedestrians were run down is being investigated as an act of terrorism, Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said at a 3 a.m. news conference.

Knecht, standing side by side with representatives of the RCMP, said based on evidence at the scene, and the actions of the suspect “it was determined that these incidents are being investigated as acts of terrorism under section 83.2 of the Criminal Code.”

Knecht also confirmed that an ISIS flag was discovered in the vehicle the suspect was driving when he rammed the police car, then stabbed the police officer — and that the flag is part of the investigation.

The attack began on the officer who was manning a routine Edmonton Eskimos game-day blockade by himself southwest of Commonwealth Stadium at 107A Avenue and 92 Street. The officer was outside his vehicle, which had its lights flashing to improve visibility.

At around 8:15 p.m., a man driving a white Chevrolet Malibu crashed into the barricades set up to keep pedestrians separated from vehicles.

The vehicle struck the officer “sending him flying through the air 15 feet before colliding with the officer’s cruiser” at high speed.

The suspect, believed to be 30 years old, then got out of his vehicle and attacked the officer with a knife. The officer was stabbed multiple times before the suspect fled on foot northbound on 92 Street.

The officer was transported to hospital and the chief said he is not in critical condition.

Immediately after the incident, Knecht said information about the registered owner of the vehicle was broadcast to patrol officers across the city.

A manhunt was underway when before midnight a suspect was pulled over at a police checkstop on Wayne Gretzky Drive and 112 Avenue driving a U-Haul truck. When the officer asked to see a driver’s licence, he recognized the name as being similar to that of the registered owner of the Malibu used in the earlier attack. The suspect fled the scene with at least a dozen police vehicles in pursuit.

Pedestrians targeted in downtown chase

A high-speed chase ensued with the suspect racing west down Jasper Avenue into the downtown, where Knecht said the suspect “deliberately tried to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys” at two areas along the route. Four pedestrians were struck and were subsequently transported to hospital. There is no information on their condition.

Shortly after the pedestrians were run down, the suspect’s vehicle overturned on 100 Avenue just south of Jasper Avenue “due to police interaction,” said Knecht.

The driver was arrested and is now in police custody.

Witnesses who saw the chase and pedestrians being struck described the scene as chaotic.

‘There were people flying’

Just before midnight Kim Anderson was waiting for her bus when she saw the U-Haul hit pedestrians near Jasper Avenue and 107 Street.

“There were people flying and everything,” she said. “I’m shocked — I just see people flying.”

At the Matrix Hotel on 100 Avenue and 106 Street, right across from where the truck overturned, Natalie Pon was at a wedding.

She said guests heard loud bangs like gunshots. Staff kept them away from the windows as the situation unfolded.

When she snapped a photo of the U-Haul there was a “huge hole” in the windshield of the truck. But she didn’t see a suspect.

“We caught wind this was happening outside, so we saw it after the fact.”

Pat Hannigan said he was across the street when he saw the truck flip over.

“They (police) were pulling him out of the windshield, then handcuffed him,” he said.

Brian McNeill was sitting on the back of a pickup truck when he saw the U-Haul going about 80 km/h, chased by 14 to 20 police vehicles.

“Holy shit, this is too fast,” he thought as he watched vehicles driving west on Jasper Avenue.

He says the truck hit two pedestrians and disappeared. Then he said he heard what he believed was a gunshot.

McNeill questioned why a high-speed chase was allowed to happen in the downtown. “That should have never happened,” he said.

Chief justifies high-speed chase

Knecht addressed those concerns at the news conference, saying the seriousness of the crime dictated why the chase continued.

The chief also said police had no forewarning of the attack and they believe the suspect acted alone. However Knecht also cautioned that “the investigation is in the early stages, and we are urging Edmontonians to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.”

“Contact police if you see anything suspicious or hear anything suspicious,” he said.

Several hours after the officer was attacked, the white sedan with a damaged front end sat between two police vehicles near a darkened grocery store adjacent to a Crown Liquor store. The trunk on the sedan was open and the scene was bordered by yellow police tape.

A police hat and what appeared to be a yellow police vest lay on the ground near the car.

Police diverting traffic

A heavy police presence had blanketed Edmonton’s inner city after the initial incident as the manhunt ramped up.

Police were stopping vehicles and peering inside with flashlights throughout the area.

Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the

Walterdale Bridge.

One complication, although it appeared to transpire without incident, was the thousands of fans exiting Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game very near the first crime scene. But traffic was diverted and remained orderly.

Knecht will provide a further update at 3 p.m.</s>A Somali asylum-seeker has been arrested on Sunday (1 October) after attacks in Edmonton, Canada left five people injured. The 30-year-old unidentified man reportedly stabbed a police officer and injured four pedestrians in the attack on Saturday.

The officer, who was directing traffic at a Canadian Football League game, was struck by a vehicle travelling at a high speed outside Alberta's Commonwealth Stadium and then was attacked with a knife, the BBC reported.

"The vehicle struck the police officer, sending him flying into the air 15 feet, before colliding with the police officer's cruiser again at a high rate of speed," Edmonton Police Service Chief Rod Knecht said.

The suspect then jumped out of the vehicle, stabbed the officer several times before fleeing on foot. A flag belonging to the Islamic State was reportedly found inside the vehicle that struck the police officer, broadcasters CBC and CTV reported.

Just before midnight, a man driving a rented van was pulled over at a checkpoint and the man's name on documents was reportedly "very similar" to that of the suspect police were looking for.

The man then fled the scene and was chased by officers. The vehicle struck four pedestrians during the pursuit, in what authorities are calling a deliberate action.

Two of the pedestrians hit were released from hospital, while the police officer is recovering from his injuries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident a "terrorist attack" adding he was "deeply concerned and outraged" by "this senseless act of violence".

In a press conference on Sunday (1 October), authorities said the suspect was previously known to Edmonton police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Knecht said the suspect was arrested on several charges, including participation in a terrorist act and the commission of an offence for a terrorist group, CNN reported.

The man was investigated in 2015 after police received a report that he was "espousing extremist ideology," said RCMP Deputy Criminal Operations Officer Marlin Degrand.

There was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges at the time and the suspect was not found to be a threat, Degrand said. Formal charges have not yet been filed.

The arrest came on the same day that an attacker was shot dead outside a railway station in Marseille, France after he killed two women with a knife in what is a suspected terror incident.</s>A 30-year-old Canadian is in custody after a police officer was hit by a car then "viciously stabbed" and hours later four pedestrians were "deliberately struck" by a fleeing U-Haul truck Saturday night in Edmonton, Alberta, according to the Edmonton Police Service.

Police say the incidents "may be related" and are investigating both as acts of terrorism.

It began around 8:15 p.m. local time outside a football game between the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was Military Appreciation Night at the stadium and a senior member of the Canadian Armed Forces conducted the pregame coin flip, while CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-over before kickoff, reports The Associated Press.

An Edmonton Police Service officer was working traffic control behind a barricade.

"Suddenly and without notice and at a high rate of speed a male driving a white Chevrolet Malibu crashed through the traffic barricades that were separating vehicles from pedestrians," said Edmonton Police Service Chief Rod Knecht in an early morning press conference. The car hit the officer, sending him 15 feet into the air, and the driver jumped out stabbing "the officer several times before fleeing the scene on foot."

An ISIS flag was found on the front seat of the vehicle, according to Knecht.

As for the officer's condition, "He is obviously injured but it is not critical," Knecht said.

Then just before midnight, a U-Haul was pulled over elsewhere in Edmonton and the officer recognized the name on the license as "being similar" to the registered owner of the Chevy Malibu, according to police.

The U-Haul fled the scene and as officers gave chase, "the U-Haul truck deliberately attempted to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys," Knecht said. Four pedestrians were hit and have been hospitalized "with multiple injuries."

The pursuit ended when the U-Haul flipped and the driver, an Edmonton man, was placed in police custody.

"Currently, we believe this is an individual who acted alone, although the investigation is in its early stages," said Chief Knecht. "We are urging all Edmontonians to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings."</s>A suspect stabbed an Edmonton police constable then later drove a truck that tried to ram into pedestrians while it was being chased by police cruisers in downtown Edmonton Saturday night, officials say, in what is now being investigated as a terrorism incident.

Four pedestrians and the constable were injured when the U-Haul truck struck them as it sped down Jasper Avenue, Edmonton police chief Rod Knetch told reporters.

The officer is not in critical condition. Knetch could not provide more details about the condition of the pedestrians.

The suspect is in custody and appears to have acted alone, the police chief said.

Knetch said an Islamic State flag that was insdie the suspect's vehicle had been seized and was part of the investigation, which now involves the local RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, a counter-terrorism unit.

The incident started around 8:15 p.m. near Commonwealth Stadium, where a police officer was handling traffic-control duties outside the Edmonton Eskimos-Blue Bombers game.

Knetch said a Chevrolet Malibu slammed into the officer's vehicle.

The driver got out of the Malibu holding a knife and stabbed the officer, Knetch said.

The suspect then fled on foot. Police found identification papers for a man in his 30s in the Malibu.

About two hours later, a police officer stopped a U-Haul truck and saw that the driver's name appeared to match that of the suspect in the earlier incident.

The U-Haul driver sped away, with several police cruisers in pursuit.

While being chased, the suspect tried to hit pedestrians as he passed by crosswalks and alleyways, Knetch said.

The chase ended with the truck swerving into Jasper Avenue, where it eventually overturned. Knetch said the high-speed pursuit in the downtown area was justified by the serious nature of the incident.

Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar just west of the downtown core, said the truck hit a person in the alley outside his establishment.

"We were just standing out front here and basically a U-Haul was heading north down 109th Street and peeled into this smoking alley here where people were having a smoke," he said.

"There was like 10 cop cars following him.

"It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing."

Elgie said after the vehicle passed by the steps of the bar, the view was obscured by the corner of the building. But he said it hit a man who was a bar patron.

"I have a registered nurse on my bar team and I grabbed her and had her look after the guy until the ambulance came."

"He was breathing and we got him in the ambulance and he was still breathing."

After that, Elgie said he still had a bar to run that was full of people. Plus he had to talk to police and have staff review security footage."

The alley was blocked by police afterwards, but people continued to come and go from The Pint.

The U-Haul ended up on its side a few blocks away outside the Matrix hotel.

Natalie Pon tweeted that she was at a wedding at the hotel when the crash happened.

"They're keeping us away from windrows/the lobby," she said.

"They let us exit thru north employee entrance. Tons of police presence and closed roads immediately around Matrix."

Pon posted pictures of the U-Haul on it's side with a large hole in the windshield.

Witnesses told local media they saw a suspect being pulled from the vehicle through the broken windshield and then placed in handcuffs.

With a report from The Canadian Press. More to come</s>A Saturday evening attack in Edmonton, Alberta has been deemed a terror attack by authorities, according to The Globe And Mail.

According to reports, a Canadian Forces military appreciation night was in full swing as the football home team the Edmonton Eskimos took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. At around 8:15 pm MST, Constable Mike Chernyk was on duty directing traffic outside of Commonwealth Stadium when a white Chevy Malibu plowed through the barrier in place and sent him flying into the air. Shortly thereafter, as passerby went to help the fallen officer, the suspect exited the Malibu and promptly started stabbing the officer.

It did not take long for Alberta premier Rachel Notley to condemn the Edmonton attack.

“The horrific events last night in downtown Edmonton have left us shocked and angry,” she said in a Sunday morning news conference. “It’s left us shocked at the indiscriminate cruelty and angry that someone might target their hatred at places where we gather with our families and friends.”

To be sure, this was one of the first times that Alberta has seen such an indiscriminate attack since the war on terror began after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Edmonton attack has been described as “lone wolf” in nature, with the attacker having been on the radar of police forces since 2015.

CTV News reports that RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand explained that the suspect had been interviewed by police in 2015. Then, police were acting on reports that the suspect had been radicalized and determined that an interview was necessary. Insufficient evidence led the police to conclude that the suspect did not then pose a threat to Canada’s national security. The suspect is a Somali national who is currently living in Canada as a refugee.

Toronto Sun, as well as other publications, is reporting that Canada is currently embroiled in a bit of a refugee crisis as Haitians that once took refuge in the United States began to surge over the border into Quebec in an effort to escape Trump’s desire to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Canadian citizens who currently do not support the Liberal government’s apparent open acceptance of refugees will likely be turning to the Edmonton attack from Saturday as evidence that something needs to change as far as the Canadian approach to refugees goes.

Constable Chernyk did survive the attack with physical injuries more or less amounting to scrapes and bruises. Edmonton police is reporting that while Chernyk is doing well, the mental trauma from the Edmonton attack is something that he will take longer to recover from. Canada’s national security level is currently at medium in the wake of the attack, and while four were injured by the U-Haul that the suspect had apparently begun driving after abandoning the Malibu used in the attack against Chernyk, all appear to be working towards recovery.

Terror charges are currently pending against the suspect.</s>The stabbing of a police officer and a subsequent high-speed chase where several pedestrians were run down is being investigated as an act of terrorism, Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said at a 3 a.m. news conference.

 

 Knecht confirmed that an ISIS flag was discovered in the vehicle the suspect was driving when he attacked the officer and that it is part of the investigation.

 

 The attack began on a police officer who was manning a routine Eskimos game-day blockade by himself near Commonwealth Stadium at around 8:15 p.m. when a car rammed into him, tossing him 15 feet into the air. 

 

 The suspect then rammed a police vehicle at high speed before getting out of his white Chevrolet Malibu and attacking the officer with a knife. The officer was stabbed multiple times before the suspect fled on foot.

 

 A manhunt was underway when the suspect was pulled over at a police check stop on Wayne Gretzky Drive around three hours later driving a U-Haul. The suspect, believed to be 30 years old, fled when his name was recognized as the owner of the vehicle used in the initial attack.

 

 A high speed chase ensued with the suspect racing west down Jasper Avenue into the downtown, deliberately attempting to run over pedestrians in crosswalks and in alleys. Four pedestrians were struck before the suspect’s vehicle overturned on 100 Avenue just south of Jasper chased by more than a dozen police vehicles.

 

 Just before midnight Kim Anderson was waiting for her bus when she saw the U-Haul truck hit pedestrians near Jasper Avenue and 107 Street. 

 

 “There were people flying and everything,” she said. “I’m shocked — I just see people flying.” 

 

 The overturned U-Haul was cordoned off with police tape near on 100 Ave. and 106 Street. 

 

 Natalie Pon was at a wedding at the Matrix Hotel, right across from where the truck overturned.

 

 She said guests heard loud bangs like gunshots. Staff kept them away from the windows as the situation unfolded.

 

 When she snapped a photo of the U-Haul there was a “huge hole” in the windshield of the truck. She didn’t see a suspect.

 

 “We caught wind this was happening outside, so we saw it after the fact.”

 

 Guests were not allowed to exit through the front entrance of the hotel.

 

 Pat Hannigan said he was across the street when he saw the truck flip over.

 

 “They (police) were pulling him out of the windshield, then handcuffed him,” he said, adding he started shooting video of the incident.

 

 Brian McNeill was sitting on the back of a pickup truck when he saw the U-Haul going about 80 kilometres per hour, chased by 14 to 20 police vehicles.

 

 “Holy shit, this is too fast,” he thought as he watched vehicles driving west on Jasper Avenue

 

 He says the truck hit two pedestrians and disappeared. Then he says he heard what he believed was a gunshot.

 

 A U-Haul box truck was tipped over after a police chase west down Jasper Avenue on Saturday Sept. 30, 2017. IAN KUCERAK / EDMONTON JOURNAL

 Several hours after the officer was attacked, the white sedan with a damaged front sat between two police vehicles near a darkened grocery store adjacent to a Crown Liquor store. The trunk on the sedan was popped open and the scene was bordered by yellow police tape.

 

 A police hat and what appeared to be a yellow police vest lay on the ground near the car. 

 

 A heavy police presence blanketed Edmonton’s inner city after the incident.

 

 Police were stopping vehicles and checking inside with flashlights at intersections throughout the area. 

 

 Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the

 Walterdale Bridge.

 

 One complication, although it appeared to transpire without incident, was the thousands of fans exiting Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game very near the initial crime scene. Traffic was diverted and remained orderly.</s>EDMONTON -- Police say terrorism charges are pending against a suspect arrested after a series of violent attacks that saw an Edmonton police officer stabbed and several pedestrians run down by a truck.

Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht did not release the 30-year-old suspect's name, but said that five charges of attempted murder are also expected to be filed.

RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand says the suspect has been on the radar of authorities since 2015 when a complaint was filed suggesting he may have been radicalized.

Degrand says the suspect is a Somali national who was in the process of making a refugee claim in Canada.

This is a breaking news update. See below for earlier story

Edmonton's mayor says violent attacks overnight in the city that saw a police officer stabbed and several pedestrians run down by a truck were the work of a "lone wolf."

Don Iveson said a 30-year-old male suspect was in custody and being interviewed by police Sunday morning.

"To the best of our knowledge, this was a lone wolf attack," he said at city hall as he urged calm. "It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence.

"Terrorism is about creating panic and about sowing divide and about disrupting people's lives. We can succumb to that or we can rise above it."

It took place over more than four hours, starting with an attack on an officer outside a football game at 8:15 p.m. Saturday night, leading hours later to a multi-car high-speed police chase through downtown that saw four pedestrians run over by the suspect as he twisted and turned his cube van through alleys and cross streets.

It ended when the suspect's truck crashed onto its side, with police handcuffing and hauling him away.

No deaths have been reported. The names of the victims, the suspect, and the nature and severity of their injuries have not been released.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violent events overnight as a "terrorist attack" and a "senseless act of violence."

"Early reports indicate that this is another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against," Trudeau said in a statement.

"We cannot -- and will not -- let violent extremism take root in our communities."

Police say it began outside Commonwealth Stadium, northeast of downtown, in a game between the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

It was military appreciation night. Canada's chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip and two CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-past before kickoff.

Outside the stadium, a police officer with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier, sending the officer flying five metres through the air.

The Malibu driver then got out and began stabbing the officer.

"He was stabbed several times and he was able to fend off the attacker even after getting thrown through the air after being struck by the vehicle," said Det. Bob Walsh, president of the Edmonton Police Association.

Surveillance video released by police appears to depict the police officer wrestling with the driver on the ground. At one point, it appears the officer is on top of the driver.

Footage shows them both getting to their feet and the driver running across the street while the officer slowly follows behind him into traffic.

"He followed him for a little bit and radioed ahead to let them (police) know what had happened," said Walsh.

Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht said an Islamic State flag was found in the front seat of the Malibu.

The manhunt was on. Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter with the suspect, now driving a U-haul cube van, east of the stadium just after midnight.

Knecht said when the U-haul pulled over for the checkpoint, the driver was confronted after he produced identification linking him to the registered owner of the Malibu.

The U-Haul then sped off toward downtown and Jasper Avenue, the city's main east-west thoroughfare, with multiple police cars in pursuit.

The truck veered into alleys and cross-streets through the downtown amid late-night bar and nightclub goers. Knecht said the truck deliberately hit four pedestrians.

Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar, saw the van zoom by with police giving chase.

The van "peeled" into an alley where people were smoking, he said.

"There were like 10 cop cars following him ... It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing."

Elgie said the van hit a man who was a bar customer.

"I have a registered nurse on my bar team and I grabbed her and had her look after the guy until the ambulance came.

"He was breathing and we got him in the ambulance and he was still breathing."

The chase came to an end outside the Matrix Hotel, just south of Jasper Avenue, when the van rolled on its side.

Witnesses said they saw the suspect being pulled from the vehicle through the broken windshield and then placed in handcuffs.

Bystander Natalie Pon posted pictures of the U-Haul on its side with a large hole in the windshield.

Knecht said the suspect was known to police, but there was no warning for the attack. Police were to deliver an update later Sunday.

"Hatred has no place in Alberta. It's not who we are. We are in this together and together we are stronger than any form of hate," Notley told reporters at the legislature.

In Regina, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was asked if the suspect had been known to Canada's spy agency.

"The individual apparently had some appearance on a police watch list, but that is a detail of the investigation that the authorities will pursue in the appropriate way. There are no conclusions that can be drawn at this present time," said Goodale.

Walsh said he visited the officer, a 10-year veteran, in hospital.

"He was in good spirits," said Walsh.

He was very shaken up -- still a bit in shock. He went through a very traumatic incident. It is something that won't go away today or tomorrow. There will be some side-effects that will traumatize him for a longtime yet to come."

Edmonton police Sgt. Michael Elliott, speaking on behalf of the Alberta Federation of Police Associations, said the public reaction to the attack will be critical.

"We want our communities to come together. When events such as this occur and could potentially create a divide," said Elliott.

"This has happened in Germany, France and England and now it has made it to our doorstep. Only together can we change the tide."

With files from Andy Blatchford in Ottawa</s>EDMONTON -- Mounties say the man accused of attacking a police officer and running down four pedestrians with a rental truck in a dramatic late-night downtown chase is a Somali refugee once investigated for espousing extremism.

RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand said the suspect, 30, was checked thoroughly in 2015 and deemed at that time to not pose a threat.

"There was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges or a peace bond," Degrand said Sunday. "The suspect was actually not deemed at that time to pose a threat to the security of Canada."

Degrand said files on the suspect were kept and shared with other intelligence and police agencies after 2015, but said that was as much as the law would allow.

"We didn't have sufficient evidence to warrant continued investigation of that individual following the 2015 (check)," he said.

Police did not name the suspect but CTV News has confirmed it's Abdulahi Sharif. Police said he was arrested with an Islamic state flag in one of his vehicles.

Degrand initially said was the suspect was the process of making a refugee claim in Canada, but a spokesman with the federal Public Safety Department later clarified that he had already been found to be a refugee by the Immigration and Refugee Board.

He is facing a number of charges, including five counts of attempted murder, dangerous driving and participation in a terrorist activity.

Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said, so far, it appears the suspect does not have any co-conspirators.

"From all indications it appears that this was a single individual acting alone," said Knecht. "We have no reason to believe that there is any threat to our city."

The attacks began around 8:15 Saturday night near Commonwealth Stadium, just north of downtown, during a game between the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was military appreciation night. Canada's chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip and two CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-past before kickoff.

Outside the stadium, Edmonton police Const. Mike Chernyk, with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier and hit his car, sending him flying five metres through the air.

The driver then got out, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing him. Knecht said Chernyk, a 10-year-veteran, fought back, forcing the suspect to flee on foot.

"He was in a struggle for his life, holding onto his gun with one hand and blocking the knife with his other," said Knecht. "It's a testament to his experience and training that he survived."

Knecht said Chernyk has since been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

"He has stab wounds on his face and head from the knife and significant abrasions on his arms as a result of being hit by the car."

Chernyk managed to radio in what had happened and the manhunt was on.

Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter hours later with the suspect, now driving a U-haul cube van, east of the stadium just after midnight.

Knecht said when the U-haul pulled over for the checkpoint, the driver produced identification linking him to the registered owner of the Malibu.

He became suspicious when police held him up, and decided to flee. The U-Haul then sped off toward Jasper Avenue, downtown Edmonton's main east-west thoroughfare, with multiple police cars in pursuit.

Knecht said the suspect drove in the opposite lane, almost T-boned a vehicle and purposely drove into pedestrians, injuring four.

He said the call was made to keep the high-speed pursuit through the downtown, busy with late night bar and night-club goers, because of the threat posed by the suspect.

Of the four pedestrians, two suffered head injuries including a skull fracture. Two have been released from hospital.

"Their injuries range from broken bones to brain bleeds," said Knecht.

He said officers used a "tactical manoeuvre" to force the truck to crash onto its side just south of Jasper Avenue. Officers smashed through the windshield and tossed in a stun grenade to distract the driver. When he resisted, they used a stun gun to make the arrest.

"No shots were fired. In fact, no shots were fired anywhere in this entire incident," said Knecht.

Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar, saw the van zoom by with police giving chase.

The van "peeled" into an alley where people were smoking, he said.

"There were like 10 cop cars following him ... It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing."

"Hatred has no place in Alberta. It's not who we are," Notley said Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the violent events as a "terrorist attack" and a "senseless act of violence."

"We cannot -- and will not -- let violent extremism take root in our communities," he said.

In the United States, President Donald Trump's press secretary issued a statement saying "Law enforcement authorities from the United States are in touch with their Canadian counterparts to offer assistance with the ongoing investigation."

"It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence," said Iveson. "Terrorism is about creating panic and about sowing divide and about disrupting people's lives.

"We can succumb to that or we can rise above it."

With files from Jennifer Graham in Regina and Andy Blatchford in Ottawa</s>A police officer is recovering after he was attacked near Commonwealth Stadium Saturday night.

The officer was by himself at a traffic blockade at around 8:15 p.m. when a car rammed into a police vehicle.

The suspect got out of the vehicle, an altercation occurred and the suspect fled on foot.

The suspect remains at large, but police have not provided a description.

A heavy police presence covered Edmonton’s inner city after the incident.

Police are stopping vehicles and checking inside with flashlights at intersections throughout the area.

Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the

 Walterdale Bridge.

Traffic leaving Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game has also been diverted.

An ambulance sped towards the Royal Alexandra Hospital, although there are no details yet on the nature of the incident.

Police have said they will provide an update at some point tonight.

Police are asking people to avoid the area near 107A Avenue and 93 Street.
In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, near Commonwealth Stadium, a man drives into a police officer and then stabs the officer. The suspect fled the scene and was later arrested that night following a police pursuit, where four pedestrians were hit by the suspect in a rental truck. Police are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.