TORONTO, April 24 (Reuters) - The driver suspected of killing 10 and injuring 15 others when he plowed a rental van into pedestrians in Toronto will make his first court appearance on Tuesday when details of a motive for the attack were expected to emerge.

While the worst mass killing in Canada in decades has the hallmarks of other deadly vehicle assaults by Islamic State supporters in the United States and Europe, officials said it did not represent a threat to national security.

Alex Minassian, 25, identified by police as the suspect, will appear in a Toronto court at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), Toronto police said. Charges will be made public at that time.

Minassian, who was not previously known to authorities, attended a high school program where one classmate remembered him as "absolutely harmless."

People left flowers at a makeshift memorial, which grew as commuters returned to work Tuesday morning. Blank white posters left against a stone wall were covered with messages.

The Canadian flag was lowered to half-staff at parliament and at Toronto city hall.

The officer who apprehended Minassian was praised for making a peaceful arrest eve as the suspect shouted "Kill me" and claimed to have a gun.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called the incident a "tragic and senseless attack," was to speak to reporters at 8:25 a.m. EDT (1225 GMT) in Ottawa.

Canadians mourned as the victims began to be identified on Tuesday. "We are a peaceful, tolerant, free society. The horrific violence on Toronto´s Yonge Street will strengthen rather than undermine these truths," columnist John Ibbitson wrote in the Globe and Mail national newspaper.

The attack shook the usually peaceful streets of Toronto, a multicultural city with a population of 2.8 million. The city recorded 61 murders last year.

Downtown Toronto's iconic CN Tower, which is normally lit up in the evening, went dark on Monday evening.

The drama started at lunchtime on a warm spring day, when the driver drove his vehicle into the crowds. The street was soon covered in blood, empty shoes and bodies.

Canada is still recovering from the shock of a highway crash in Saskatchewan earlier this month that killed 16 people on a bus carrying a junior hockey team.

Last October eight people died in New York when a man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path.</s>The suspect in a devastating van attack in Toronto that left 10 people dead and another 15 injured has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder as investigators in Canada continue to piece together his motivations, the CBC reports. Just before 1:30 pm on Monday, police say 25-year-old Alek Minassian drove a rental Ryder cargo van onto the sidewalk at the intersection of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in the North York neighborhood of Toronto. He then continued south for at least a half a mile, mowing down pedestrians "one by one" and leaving a trail of carnage in his wake, a horrified witness told the New York Times.

On Tuesday, the first victim of the attack was formally identified: Anne Marie D'Amico, an employee at an investment firm whose headquarters are located along that fateful stretch of road. A colleague told the CBC that she was "always smiling" and "a very warm, friendly presence," while a friend wrote on Facebook that D'Amico was "a rock, a champion, a soldier, a nurturer, a friend... what we all needed, when we needed it." Minassian then allegedly pulled the van to a stop and engaged in a tense standoff with a Toronto police officer that was captured on video by another witness. In the clip, the suspect is standing in front of the damaged van and pointing an object at the officer, yelling for police to kill him.

When it becomes clear that's not going to happen—Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters that his officers are taught to use "as little force as possible," and that the object in his hands wasn't a gun—he appears to surrender and is taken into custody.

As officials continue the grim, heartbreaking work of identifying all the victims and rebuilding a city's shattered peace, attention has swung to the motivations behind the deadly rampage. A resident of nearby Richmond Hill and a student at a local college, Minassian was reportedly "unknown" to Canadian law enforcement prior to Monday's attack. Fellow students told the BBC that he kept to himself and occasionally acted out in strange ways, but that he ultimately seemed harmless.

According to Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, there are "no national security connections" to this incident, and authorities don't believe Minassian was connected to any domestic or foreign terror groups. On Tuesday, a report emerged that Minassian had written a Facebook post just before the attack in support of American spree killer Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in Isla Vista, California in 2014 over his alleged rejection by women and society.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident

Canadian police are questioning a man suspected of driving a rented van into pedestrians in northern Toronto on Monday, killing 10 and injuring 15.

Alek Minassian, 25, was not previously known to authorities, police said, adding that the incident appeared deliberate but no motive was clear.

Mr Minassian was arrested after a tense standoff with a police officer.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident a "senseless attack and a horrific tragedy".

The officer who arrested Mr Minassian was praised for not opening fire during a standoff with the suspect, who claimed to be armed and pointed an object at the officer.

Video broadcast on CBC News showed the suspect shouting "kill me", while the officer instructs him to get down.

When he said he had a gun, the officer said: "I don't care. Get down." He was then arrested without any shots being fired. He is due in court at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Trudeau praised the police officers involved, who he said "faced danger without a moment of hesitation".

How did the incident unfold?

Police said the suspect in the van mounted the kerb on Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue at about 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday and drove into pedestrians along a 1km (0.6-mile) stretch.

Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road. He said the van was repeatedly mounting the pavement and running into people.

One witness told City News that the driver was "hitting anything that comes in the way".

"People, fire hydrants, there's mail boxes being run over," said the unnamed man, who said he was driving behind the van during the incident.

As the van continued, the man said he sounded his horn to try to warn pedestrians. "I witnessed at least six, seven people being hit and flying in the air, like killed, on the street," he said.

Image copyright LinkedIn Image caption Suspect Alek Minassian is due to appear in court on Tuesday morning

Pictures from the scene showed bodies covered in orange sheets along the van's route. Debris and items of clothing were scattered across the pavements and road.

The van was brought to a halt by police several streets away and was quickly surrounded. The suspect was arrested 26 minutes after the first emergency call was made to the police.

What is known of the suspect?

Police said Mr Minassian was from the northern Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill and was not previously known to authorities. "The actions definitely looked deliberate," said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.

Public safety minister Ralph Goodale said there "would appear to be no national security connections" and Canadian broadcaster CBC cited government officials as saying he was not associated with any known terror groups.

Skip Twitter post by @JustinTrudeau The @TorontoPolice and first responders faced danger without hesitation today, and I want to thank them for their courage and professionalism. We’ll continue working with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 24, 2018 Report

Mr Minassian had previously attended a school for students with special needs in north Toronto, former classmates said.

He would be seen walking around Thornlea Secondary School with his head down and hands clasped tightly together making meowing noises, Shereen Chami told Reuters.

But she said Mr Minassian had not been violent. "He wasn't a social person, but from what I remember he was absolutely harmless," she told Reuters.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Emergency services flooded the area along Yonge Street

Another former student, Ari Bluff, told CBC that Minassian did not seem to have many friends. "I remember seeing him probably just walking down the halls, usually by himself, or in the cafeteria by himself," he said.

Mr Minassian went on to attend Seneca College in the North York area of Toronto, where the van incident took place, CBC reported.

Reporter James Moore, with Newtalk 1010, told the BBC he had heard reports that Mr Minassian was regarded as being "quite brilliant".

Canada's Globe and Mail quotes a fellow student as saying Minassian was good at working with specialised computer chips used to process images.

What about the victims?

So far, the name of only one of those who died has emerged. She has been identified as Anne-Marie D'Amico, who worked for the US investment company, Invesco, CBC reports. The company's Canadian headquarters are on Yonge Street.

A South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP news agency that two of its citizens were among the dead.

The 15 injured remain in hospitals throughout Toronto.

What else is known?

Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.

The incident happened while foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialised nations - Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were holding talks in Toronto.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the G7 meetings would continue on Tuesday as planned. "The work of the ministers obviously goes on. This is a very sad day for the people of Toronto and the people of Canada," she said.

City Mayor John Tory urged residents to remain calm. "This kind of tragic incident is not representative of how we live or who we are or anything to do with life in the city on a day-to-day basis," he said.

The White House issued a statement saying the US "stands with the Canadian people" and offering "any support Canada may need".</s>(CNN) — Toronto police have their suspect — but they’re still looking for a motive.

Alek Minassian, the man accused of plowing into pedestrians with a van Monday, was charged Tuesday with 10 counts of first-degree murder.

The 25-year-old is also charged with 13 counts of attempted murder.

Minassian, who was wearing a white jumpsuit with his hands cuffed behind him, appeared attentive during the brief hearing. His next court appearance will be a bail hearing on May 10.

Investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the attack, which left 10 people dead and 15 hurt.

“Obviously all Canadians continue and will continue to have questions about why this happened, what could possibly be the motive behind it,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.

So far, officials aren’t calling the attack an act of terrorism. “There would appear to be no national security connection,” Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said.

But Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said: “it’s very clear just from a general perspective to say that the actions definitely look deliberate.”

The van sped down a busy street Monday with reckless abandon, swerving into the wrong lanes of traffic and careening onto a sidewalk.

Minassian was arrested in a white rental van less than 30 minutes after police received a 911 call, Saunders said.

He said Toronto authorities hadn’t had previous contact with the 25-year-old suspect. But a US law enforcement official with knowledge of the case said Minassian was known to authorities.

Investigators found a Facebook account they believe belongs to Minassian, CNN law enforcement analyst Josh Campbell said.

A message posted on the account earlier Monday read: “All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

Campbell said investigators believe the post refers to the man who killed six and injured 14 in a drive-by shooting and vehicle ramming attack near the University of California Santa Barbara campus in 2014. Rodger later died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators said Rodger was motivated to carry out his attack by a personal grievance related to his immersion in the extremist ideological subculture of men’s rights activists, who believe women don’t actually want gender equality and have been brainwashed by feminist propaganda.

Authorities said Minassian left a trail of destruction nearly a mile long, north of midtown Toronto.

“Based on witness accounts, we have a vehicle that started north on Yonge Street from Finch (Avenue) and drove southbound at some point in times on sidewalks, at some point in times driving southbound in northbound lanes,” Saunders said, adding that it appeared to be a deliberate act.

DawaNet, a Canadian Muslim organization, started a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $1 million for the victims and their families. By Tuesday afternoon, the fund had raised more than $55,000.

Diego DeMatos was one of the good Samaritans who tried to save victims.

DeMatos said he was driving north on Yonge when he saw the van driving fast southbound. He said he saw the van hit a man and a woman.

“Blood started gushing out of his head, and she was bleeding really badly, too,” DeMatos told CNN.

At first, he thought the collision was a hit-and-run. But then he noticed four to five victims on the ground as he drove a few meters further.

DeMatos said he stopped to help another victim, who was already being aided by someone.

“I went over to try to perform CPR on him. … He died in our arms,” DeMatos said.

“It was like a scene from a war zone. There were garbage cans everywhere, broken bus shelters and mailboxes on the ground.”

Cell phone video obtained by CNN partner CTV appears to show a tense standoff with a suspect after the incident. Police have not said whether the person in the video was Minassian.

The footage appears to show a man standing in front of a white van with a damaged front bumper. The man is yelling and extending one arm, pointing an object at an officer standing behind a black car.

The officer has his weapon drawn and pointed at the man. The officer slowly steps toward him and yells “Get down, get down!”

Later in the video, the man is seen on the ground and the officer is cuffing his hands behind him; the object can be seen lying on the ground off to the side.

As for whether the suspect had a weapon, “There’s nothing that indicates he has a gun,” Saunders said.

Trudeau offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He thanked first responders, who he said “faced danger without hesitation and their efforts no doubt saved lives and prevented further injuries.”</s>Toronto authorities on Tuesday charged a van driver who plowed into a crowd of people on a busy sidewalk with murder. Police said the suspect, 25-year-old Alek M. was not known to them before Monday's carnage in Canada's most populous city, which left 10 people dead and 15 more injured.

Alek M. entered the courtroom wearing a white forensic jumpsuit and spoke his name loudly and confidently, said DW correspondent in Toronto, Jeff Harrington.

The suspect’s father was present in court and wept as the charges were read out, Harrington told DW.

The judge ordered him detained without bond and has scheduled the next hearing for May 10.

Speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the possibility of terrorism, and said that authorities see no national security element in the case.

At the news conference Trudeau said that it "hasn't changed the overall threat level in Canada," though it occurred as Cabinet ministers from the G7 nations were meeting in Toronto.

What we know about the suspect

Police are still no closer to establishing a motive, but reports have emerged of M. "egging police on, telling police to shoot him," according to Harrington.

According to authorities, Alek M., was not previously known to authorities. He attended a high school program where one classmate remembered him as "absolutely harmless."

Thehouse where the suspect lived, a two-story red-brick home in a suburb north of Toronto, was a crime scene Tuesday, taped off and surrounded by police vehicles. Officers were seen going in and out of the house.

More to come</s>TORONTO (CNS) — Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins called for special prayers after a van jumped a curb and killed at least 10 people on a busy Toronto street.

Although officials said the April 23 incident did not appear to be terrorism, they said it did appear to be deliberate. Cabinet members from leading industrialized nations were meeting in Toronto in preparation for a G-7 summit in Quebec in June.

“I invite the Catholic community across the Archdiocese of Toronto to join me in offering our prayers for all those who were killed and injured in the violent incident earlier today,” the cardinal said in a statement. “I will be asking all 225 Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Toronto to offer special prayer intentions this week for all those who have suffered. Let us all unite in our efforts to bring comfort and care to those who are hurting today.”

Authorities identified the driver as Alek Minassian, who was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. The Associated Press reported witnesses said he appeared to intentionally jump a curb in the North York neighborhood as people filled the sidewalks on a warm afternoon. He continued for more than a mile, knocking out a fire hydrant and leaving bodies strewn in his wake.

Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, CEO of the Toronto-based Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, tweeted: “Death toll of today’s horrific accident is now at 10 with many more in critical condition. Tonight we celebrated Mass for all who have died. Such senseless, horrible killing of many innocent people who were outside enjoying our first taste of spring. God bless Toronto tonight.”</s>A driver suspected of killing 10 people and injuring 15 more by ploughing a rental van into pedestrians in Toronto has appeared in court in the city.

Alek Minassian, 25, was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.

Mr Minassian wore a white jumpsuit, with a shaved head and his hands behind his back. He showed little emotion.

He was read the charges and ordered to have no contact with surviving victims. He will return to court on 10 May.

A man believed to be a relative of Mr Minassian's sat in the front row of the court and wept. Asked by reporters after the hearing if he had anything to say, the man replied "sorry".

Mr Minassian's court appearance came shortly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed reporters in the city, calling the incident a "senseless attack and a horrific tragedy".
• How is Toronto attack suspect not dead?
• What we know about Alek Minassian

The suspect was arrested several blocks from the scene of the attack, after a tense standoff with a police officer, during which he pointed an object at the officer and claimed to have a gun.

"I don't care. Get down," the officer said, before arresting Mr Minassian without firing a shot. The arrest was filmed by two bystanders and the officer was praised for not opening fire.

Mr Trudeau praised the police response, saying officers "faced danger without a moment of hesitation".

How did the incident unfold?

Police said the suspect in the van mounted the kerb on Yonge Street between Finch Avenue and Sheppard Avenue at about 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday and drove into pedestrians along a 1km (0.6-mile) stretch.

Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road. He said the van was repeatedly mounting the pavement and running into people.
• 'It was awful': What eyewitnesses saw

One witness told City News that the driver was "hitting anything that comes in the way".

"People, fire hydrants, there's mail boxes being run over," said the unnamed man, who said he was driving behind the van during the incident.

As the van continued, the man said he sounded his horn to try to warn pedestrians. "I witnessed at least six, seven people being hit and flying in the air, like killed, on the street," he said.

Pictures from the scene showed bodies covered in orange sheets along the van's route. Debris and items of clothing were scattered across the pavements and road.

The van was brought to a halt by police several streets away and was quickly surrounded. The suspect was arrested 26 minutes after the first emergency call was made to the police.

What is known of the suspect?

Police say Mr Minassian is from the northern Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill and was not previously known to authorities. "The actions definitely looked deliberate," said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.

Public safety minister Ralph Goodale said there "would appear to be no national security connections" and Canadian broadcaster CBC cited government officials as saying Mr Minassian was not associated with any known terror groups.

Facebook has deleted Mr Minassian's account, but a copy of a post has emerged said to have been written by the suspect shortly before the attack on Monday.

Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper and CBC network said Facebook had confirmed the authenticity of the post. The BBC has not independently verified it.

The post praises Elliott Rodger, a 22 year old from California who killed six people with his car in 2014.

The post reads: "The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!"

The term "incel" refers to a now-banned group on the message site Reddit where young men discussed their lack of sexual activity and attractiveness to women - often blaming women for the problem.

"Chads and Stacys" refers to attractive men and women who are perceived as better than or unavailable to "incels", which is short for "involuntary celibate".

Mr Minassian had previously attended a school for students with special needs in north Toronto, former classmates said.

He would be seen walking around Thornlea Secondary School with his head down and hands clasped tightly together making meowing noises, Shereen Chami told Reuters.

But she said Mr Minassian had not been violent. "He wasn't a social person, but from what I remember he was absolutely harmless," she told Reuters.

Another former student, Ari Bluff, told CBC that Minassian did not seem to have many friends. "I remember seeing him probably just walking down the halls, usually by himself, or in the cafeteria by himself," he said.

Mr Minassian went on to attend Seneca College in the North York area of Toronto, where the van incident took place, CBC reported. Reporter James Moore, with Newtalk 1010, told the BBC he had heard reports that Mr Minassian was regarded as being "quite brilliant".

The Globe and Mail quotes a fellow student as saying Minassian was good at working with specialised computer chips used to process images.

Who were the victims?

So far, the name of only one of those who died has emerged. She has been identified as Anne-Marie D'Amico, who worked for the US investment company, Invesco, CBC reports. The company's Canadian headquarters are on Yonge Street.

A South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP news agency that two of its citizens were among the dead.

The 15 injured remain in hospitals throughout Toronto.

What else is known?

Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.

The incident happened while foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialised nations - Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were holding talks in Toronto.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the G7 meetings would continue on Tuesday as planned. "The work of the ministers obviously goes on. This is a very sad day for the people of Toronto and the people of Canada," she said.

City Mayor John Tory urged residents to remain calm. "This kind of tragic incident is not representative of how we live or who we are or anything to do with life in the city on a day-to-day basis," he said.

The White House issued a statement saying the US "stands with the Canadian people" and offering "any support Canada may need".

Did you witness the attack? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
• Send an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "Anybody in his way, he would hit": Witnesses recall Toronto van incident

Ten people have been killed and 15 injured after a man drove a van into pedestrians in Toronto, police said.

The suspect has been named by police as Alek Minassian, 25.

A man was arrested several streets away following a tense standoff with officers on the street.

Bystander videos appeared to show the driver pointing an object at the officers, who could be heard shouting at him to get down. The man was then detained without any shots being fired.

Toronto deputy police chief Peter Yuen asked for witnesses to come forward and said there would be "a long investigation". He said separate hotlines had been set up for victims' families and for witnesses.

City police chief Mark Saunders told a news conference that the incident appeared to be deliberate but the motive was still unknown. He said Alek Minassian, from the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, was not previously known to them.

Canadian public safety minister Ralph Goodale, in a tweet thanking the emergency services, referred to the incident as a "horrific attack".

Reza Hashemi, who owns a video shop on Yonge Street, told the BBC he heard screaming on the other side of the road.

He said the white rental van had repeatedly mounted the pavement and run into people.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ambulance rushes to the scene in Toronto

Van rental company Ryder System Inc confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved and said it was co-operating with authorities.

The incident occurred at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue at 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Monday. The crime scene encompassed a an over 1km (0.6 mile) stretch of Yonge Street.

About 18 miles (30km) away in the city centre, foreign ministers of the G7 leading industrialised nations - Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - were holding meetings.

Pictures apparently taken at the scene showed armed police and paramedics treating the injured. One orange bag, which appeared to contain a body, was loaded on to an ambulance.

Toronto police spokeswoman Jenifferjit Sidhu told CBC News that the vehicle was stopped by police.

Residents left in shock

Jessica Murphy, BBC News, Toronto

A long stretch of Yonge Street in Toronto's North York is cordoned off with yellow police tape for what police say will be a complex investigation.

There are multiple sites where people were hit. At one intersection, debris and a lone shoe mark the spot of one fatality.

In the aftermath, people who would usually be running errands or heading back to surrounding office towers and condominiums reacted with shock at what happened, sharing what they had seen or heard, even though reasons behind the incident remain unclear.

Hours after the event there is mainly just quiet, as police begin the painstaking work of piecing together what happened on a wide stretch of road on Monday lunch hour.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted from Ottawa: "Our thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident at Yonge and Finch in Toronto."

"Thank you to the first responders working at the scene - we're monitoring the situation closely."

One witness told City News that the driver was "hitting anything that comes in the way".

"People, fire hydrants, there's mail boxes being run over," said the unnamed man, who said he was driving behind the van during the incident.

As the van continued, the man said he sounded his horn to try to warn pedestrians. "I witnessed at least six, seven people being hit and flying in the air, like killed, on the street," he said.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Bystanders tried to help emergency responders treat the injured victims

Toronto Mayor John Tory called it "a very tragic incident" that was "not representative of how we live or who we are". He said he had "offered any and all assistance that the city can provide to the police to help this investigation".

The US and Europe have seen an increase in driving attacks in recent years. In October 2017, a man in New York drove a van down a bicycle path, killing eight people.</s>TORONTO (AP) — The latest on the van striking pedestrians in Toronto (all times local):

Toronto's police chief says an incident in which a rented van smashed into pedestrians appeared to have been deliberate.

Police Chief Mark Saunders made the comment at a news conference Monday night hours after the van killed 10 people and left 15 more hospitalized. The driver had fled but was surrounded by police and detained.

Saunders said, "The incident definitely looked deliberate."

The chief identified the suspect as Alek Minassian, a 25-year-old from the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill.

Toronto's police chief says a 10th person has died after a rented van plowed into pedestrians along a sidewalk in Toronto. Fifteen people are reported in the hospital.

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders also has released the name of the purported driver detained after Monday's incident.

The suspect is identified as Alek Minassian, a 25-year-old from the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill.

A Toronto police official says nine people have been killed and 16 injured from a van that jumped onto a sidewalk and struck pedestrians in the north part of the city.

Deputy Police Chief Peter Yuen says the driver of the van is in custody but Yuen has not provided any possible cause or motive in Monday's incident. He says the investigation is continuing.

Yuen also has not given any details on the injuries.

Canada's minister of public safety says it's too soon to say whether the crash of a van into pedestrians in Toronto is a case of international terrorism.

Ralph Goodale tells reporters that police are still investigating to determine what happened and why in Monday's incident in northern Toronto in which a van struck a crowd of pedestrians.

He declines to confirm reports of the number of injured or whether there are any fatalities. Other authorities have said at least seven people were injured and a photo appears to show at least one person dead.

Goodale says Canada has not changed its terrorism alert level and he has no information that would suggest a need to do so.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>U.S. President Donald Trump is offering his condolences to Canadians

U.S. President Donald Trump is offering his condolences to Canadians following Monday’s deadly van attack on pedestrians in Toronto.

He made the remarks amid the pomp of a White House ceremony Tuesday as he welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit, the first of the Trump presidency.

Trump began the affair by offering his hopes for a speedy recovery for George H.W. Bush, the former president who now hospitalized with an infection following the death of his wife Barbara.

He then mentioned the attack in Toronto, where 10 people were killed and 15 others injured when a rental van mounted the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of passersby.

”I also want to express our deepest sympathies to the Canadian people following the horrendous tragedy in Toronto that claimed so many innocent lives,” Trump said.

”Our hearts are with the grieving families in Canada.”

The attack drew extensive international attention, its images on the front pages of foreign newspapers and cable outlets, some of which offered live broadcasts of the aftermath.

Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, Ont., was apprehended by police without incident not long after the attack. He is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.

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A van strikes a group of pedestrians in Toronto, Canada, killing ten and injuring sixteen. According to the Toronto Police Service, the driver, who fled the scene, was later arrested.