Toronto: No evidence for Islamic attack

Toronto authorities say there is no truth to the claim by Islamic State that one of its "soldiers" carried out the shooting last Sunday that killed two people.

Canadian officials have found no evidence to support the Islamic State group's claim of responsibility for the mass shooting in Toronto that killed two people and wounded 13.

The Islamic State had claimed that one of its "soldiers", Faisal Hussain, carried out Sunday night's attack in response to its calls to target citizens of the US-led coalition battling it.

The claim appears on one of the group's social media channels, and a security member of IS was quoted speaking to the group's Amaq news agency.

Police Chief Mark Saunders said in a statement that all areas of the Toronto Police Service had been involved in the investigation and they received assistance from law enforcement partners at every level.

"At this stage, we have no evidence to support these claims," Saunders said.

Saunders said officials will continue to explore every investigative avenue, including interviews and reviewing the online activity and mental health experiences of dead gunman Faisal Hussain.

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has also said there was no national security risk following the attack.

Shooter Faisal Hussain died after an exchange of gunfire with police. His family said he suffered from lifelong "severe mental health challenges" including psychosis and depression and had not responded to numerous treatment approaches, including therapy and medication.

The shooting in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood stunned people in a normally safe city, already unsettled by an attack just three months earlier when a man used a van to plough over pedestrians on a downtown footpath, killing 10 people and injuring 14 in an attack apparently aimed at women.


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Source: AAP



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