iStock/Thinkstock(TORONTO) — Almost three days after two people were shot and killed in Toronto — and after local authorities said their killings had nothing to do with terrorism — ISIS has claimed credit for the attack.
A statement from the group’s Amaq agency, translated from Arabic, reads in part:
“The person who carried out the attack on the city of Toronto in south-east Canada on Sunday evening is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State, and he carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the coalition countries.”
The 29-year-old suspect — Faisal Hussain, who killed an 18-year-old and a 10-year-old, and injured 13 others — also died on Sunday.
Hussain’s family released a statement saying that he suffered from mental health issues that read, in part:
“We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life that took place.”
It continued, “Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals was unsuccessful. Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end.”
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