The Associated Press has obtained amateur footage showing the confrontation between the Toronto van attack suspect and a police officer before his arrest earlier this month. (April 26) AP
Canadians gathered in the tens of thousands on a crisp Sunday evening in Toronto to honor those killed and injured in Monday's horrific van attack.
Before the vigil, thousands attended a "healing walk" along the route of last Monday’s attack.
The event, which was broadcast live across the nation, featured a stage lined with ten candles — one for each victim. As the ceremonies ended, speakers placed a white rose beside each while Rabbi Eva Goldfinger listed the names of those lost.
The "Toronto Strong" event, held in the city's Mel Lastman Square, included Christian choirs and Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim speakers. Prayers were said in multiple languages.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the vigil, crossing himself before a memorial wall. He was accompanied by Canadian Governor General Julie Payette and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
A wall of flowers and candles was arrayed in a makeshift memorial in the square. City police estimated as many as 25,000 attended.
Alek Minassian, 25, is accused of plowing a rented van onto a crowded sidewalk on April 23 in what eyewitness accounts and surveillance video appeared to indicate was a deliberate attack. He has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 accounts of attempted murder.
Minassian had called for an "Incel Rebellion," on Facebook, an uprising of men who are angry that women won't have sex with them. Incel stands for "involuntary celibate," a term that has proliferated on online message boards.
While a majority of the Toronto victims were women, Toronto Police Service Detective Sgt. Graham Gibson declined to comment earlier this week on what may have motivated the suspect to act out.
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