The culprit who executed the mass shooting in Toronto which led to the death of two girls including that of a 10-year-old and injured 13, has been identified as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain whose family origins lie in Pakistan.
The shooting took place on Sunday in Toronto’s Greektown area, where the attacker was said to have been armed with a handgun. He was subsequently killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police.
As reported by Global News, Hussain is reported to be the son of Canadian parents who have Pakistani origins. Following the attack, the parents issued a statement claiming that their son suffered from “severe mental health challenges”, and struggled with physios and depression. They also claimed that medication and therapy were not successful in his case.
According to a BBC report, Hussain’s identity was released by Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU), owing to what it claims were exceptional circumstances. The SIU would be carrying out a postmortem of his body on Tuesday.
Even though the motive of the incident has not been specified, a Toronto Sun report has claimed that Hussain had expressed support to a website which is being perceived as pro-Islamic State. It also claimed that Hussain was well known to law enforcement authorities owing to his history involving weapons and violence. The report also claimed that the police are investigating the possibility of the shooting being a Jihadi inspired mission.
Incidentally, it isn’t the only time individuals with a Pakistani origin have been the perpetrators of a mass shooting.
It was reported in 2015 that San Bernardino shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik who had killed 14 individuals, had Pakistani roots. Farook was born in the USA to Pakistani parents, while his wife was born in Pakistan. They were reported to have remained in contact with Islamic State terrorists.