The 2017 Edmonton attack was a
stabbing and
vehicle-ramming attack
A vehicle-ramming attack is an assault in which a perpetrator deliberately rams a vehicle into a building, crowd of people, or another vehicle. According to Stratfor Global Intelligence analysts, this attack represents a relatively new milita ...
that occurred in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada, on September 30, 2017. Edmonton police constable Mike Chernyk
was hit and stabbed by 30-year-old Abdulahi Sharif,
who then struck four pedestrians with a rental truck during a police chase.
Chernyk and all four injured pedestrians survived and were hospitalized. The incident was investigated as a possible
Islamist terrorist attack, with police confirming the presence of an
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
flag in the van that rammed the police officer.
Sharif was convicted of eleven criminal charges including five counts of attempted murder, but was not charged with terrorism-related offenses.
Attack and pursuit
On September 30, 2017, a military appreciation night
football game between the
Edmonton Eskimos and the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
was being held.
During the game, a driver
deliberately rammed into Edmonton police constable Mike Chernyk,
who was standing between a barricade and his police car near
Commonwealth Stadium
Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...
in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
at around 8:15 p.m.
After exiting his car, the driver stabbed Chernyk before fleeing the scene. Around midnight, a
U-Haul
U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage ...
rental truck was pulled over at a police checkpoint on Wayne Gretzky Drive and 112 Avenue during a manhunt.
After officers identified the driver as Chernyk's attacker, he drove off with a dozen police vehicles in pursuit. While fleeing police, the man drove into four pedestrians, two of them in an alleyway near 109 Street and Jasper Avenue, and the other two near 107 Street and Jasper Avenue. Eventually, the rental truck was PIT maneuvered by police at the intersection of 107 Street and 100 Avenue, and the driver was arrested.
Police investigated the incident as an act of terrorism.
Victims
The first victim of the attack, Edmonton police constable Mike Chernyk, received several injuries, including stab wounds to his face and hands.
He was released from the hospital the following day, returned to work 18 days later, and has claimed things have "returned to normal".
The four pedestrians hit by the rental truck suffered various injuries ranging from "broken arms to brain bleeds". Two of them were released from the hospital after treatment the following day. Of the remaining two still hospitalized, one was upgraded from critical condition to stable, and the other suffered a fractured skull but has since regained consciousness.
Perpetrator
The perpetrator, 30-year-old Abdulahi Hasan Sharif,
[Huffington Post: Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, Edmonton Suspect, Was Ordered To Leave U.S. In 2011]
/ref> is a Somali national and refugee. In 2011, Sharif was detained by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the c ...
(ICE) for four months pending deportation to Somalia.[ He was released with an "order of supervision", but in January 2012, ICE lost track of him. He subsequently claimed refugee status in Canada. He was reported by a colleague to the police after he expressed his hatred for ]Shia Muslims
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...
, polytheists
Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...
, and expressed support for the Islamic State
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
, which led the RCMP and Edmonton police to investigate him in 2015 for extremism, and was deemed "not a threat". He was arrested for offenses including participation in a terrorist attack, commission of an offence for a terrorist group, five counts of attempted murder, dangerous driving, criminal flight causing bodily harm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. However, the Crown did not lay any terrorism-related charges against Sharif.
In 2019, Sharif was put on trial for eleven criminal charges: five counts of attempted murder, four counts of criminal flight from police causing bodily harm, one count of aggravated assault and one count of dangerous driving
In United Kingdom law, dangerous driving is a statutory offence. It is also a term of art used in the definition of the offence of causing death by dangerous driving. It replaces the former offence of reckless driving. Canada's Criminal Code ...
. He pled not guilty to all charges, but was ultimately convicted on all eleven offenses. During the trial, he did not retain legal counsel, did not testify in his own defence, or call any witnesses. On December 13, 2019, Sharif was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 28 years, found entitled to 3.3 years of pre-sentence credit, leaving 24.7 years to serve.
Responses
Domestic
The attack was quickly condemned by Edmonton mayor Don Iveson
Donald L. Iveson (born May 30, 1979) is a Canadian politician who served as mayor of Edmonton from 2013 to 2021. He was first elected as mayor in the 2013 municipal election with 62% of the vote, and was re-elected in 2017 with 73.6% of the vot ...
, who expressed shock and sadness, thanking first responders and urging citizens to remain calm. Alberta premier Rachel Notley
Rachel Anne Notley (born April 17, 1964) is a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019, and has been the leader of the Opposition since 2019. She sits as the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for ...
, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
, also condemned the attacks and praised efforts of first responders. Many other politicians issued statements condemning the attacks. Naheed Nenshi
Naheed Kurban Nenshi (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian politician who was the 36th mayor of Calgary, Alberta. He was elected in the 2010 municipal election with 39% of the vote, and is the first Muslim mayor of a large North American city. ...
, the mayor of Calgary, Alberta condemned the attack, calling it a "terrible act of violence and hatred", and expressed Calgary's solidarity with Edmonton.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims condemned the attack.
International
* : The White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
issued a statement on October 1 condemning the attack, with Press Secretary
A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage.
Dut ...
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders (born August 13, 1982) is an American former political spokesperson and the governor-elect of Arkansas. She was the 31st White House press secretary, serving under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She ...
describing the attack as "cowardly" and wished victims "a speedy and full recovery". Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
Mike Pence condemned the attack expressed his condolences to the people of Edmonton on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, stating, "Our hearts and prayers are with the victims & the people of Edmonton & we condemn the cowardly terror attacks that occurred late last night."
See also
*Terrorism in Canada
Terrorism and mass attacks in Canada includes acts of terrorism, as well as mass shootings, vehicle-ramming attacks, mass stabbings, and other such acts committed in Canada that people may associate with terroristic tactics but have not been cla ...
*Air India Flight 182
Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Bombay route. On 23 June 1985, it was operated using Boeing 747-237B registered ''VT-EFO''. It disintegrated in mid-air en route from Montreal to Lond ...
* 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmonton attack, 2017
2017 crimes in Canada
2017 in Alberta
2017 road incidents
2017 attack
Crime in Edmonton
Road incidents in Canada
September 2017 crimes in North America
Stabbing attacks in 2017
Terrorist incidents involving vehicular attacks
Vehicular rampage in Canada
ISIL terrorist incidents in Canada
Terrorist incidents in Canada in the 2010s
Terrorist incidents in North America in 2017