A man was charged with terrorism on Monday (4) after he threatened one person with a knife and slit the throat of another who was seriously injured on a bus in western Canada, court documents said.
Abdul Aziz Kawam faces four charges, including attempted murder and assault, committed “for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group, (namely) Daesh,” according to documents filed by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
The suspect initially threatened a man at a bus stop by holding a knife to his throat on Saturday (2) morning near the city of Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver in British Columbia, authorities said.
The victim managed to escape unharmed by pushing the attacker away, Metro Vancouver transportation police spokeswoman Amanda Steed said.
Shortly after, Kawam boarded a bus where he reportedly got into a dispute with another man.
“During the altercation, one of the males allegedly took out a knife and slashed the other male across the throat,” police said.
The victim underwent emergency surgery and is expected to recover.
“During the course of our investigation, it was determined that the suspect made several concerning comments,” resulting in Canadian anti-terrorism authorities being notified, Steed said.
The suspect and victims did not know each other, Steed added.
Kawam appeared in provincial court on Monday morning.
The attack follows several violent incidents across Canada in recent years.
In September, a man killed 11 people and stabbed 18 others, mainly in an isolated Indigenous community in Saskatchewan province.
In June 2021, a man was charged with terrorism after killing four members of a Muslim family by running them over with his truck in London, Ontario.
A gunman disguised as a policeman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia in April 2020, two years after a driver of a van killed 11 pedestrians in Toronto.
And in 2017, a shooter killed six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque.
(AFP)
