A Canadian man who killed 10 people by driving a van into pedestrians in Toronto in 2018 has been found guilty on all 26 charges. Alek Minassian, 28, admitted the attack but his lawyers argued he was not criminally responsible due to his autism spectrum disorder.
Justice Anne Malloy dismissed this claim, ruling that the attack was the 'act of a reasoning mind'. She accepted his diagnosis but said he was capable of understanding his actions were legally and morally wrong. 'Lack of empathy for the suffering of victims, even an incapacity to empathise for whatever reason, does not constitute a defence,' she said.
Minassian rented the van three weeks before the attack and told investigators he aimed to kill as many people as possible, inspired by the misogynistic 'incel' movement. When asked how he felt about the harm caused, he replied: 'I feel like I accomplished my mission.'
The attack occurred on 23 April 2018 on Yonge Street, where a white van mounted the pavement and struck pedestrians aged 22 to 94. Victims included grandmother Dorothy Sewell, 80, single mother Renuka Amarasinghe, 45, and South Korean student Ji Hun Kim, 22.
