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Why It Does -- yet Doesn't -- Matter That the Toronto Attacker Is a Terrorist

undefined and VP of Tactical Analysis
Scott Stewart
VP of Tactical Analysis, Stratfor

Apr 30, 2018 | 20:31 GMT

This photo shows the van that Alek Minassian, 25, reputedly drove down a street in Toronto, Canada, on April 23, 2018.

On April 23 in Toronto, Canada, 25-year-old Alek Minassian stomped on the gas pedal of a rented Ryder van, jumped a curb and steered the vehicle down a wide sidewalk running along Yonge Street. The self-described "incel" was driven by ideological motives to carry out his attack.

(COLE BURSTON/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Because the recent Toronto vehicular attack was driven by a misogynistic ideology, it can be classified as an act of terrorism.
  • Terrorist tactics transcend group or ideology and can be adopted by anyone, including nonterrorists.
  • Because of this fact, mass public attacks will remain a persistent but limited threat, and people must be prepared to face them.

On April 23 in Toronto, Canada, 25-year-old Alek Minassian stomped on the gas pedal of a rented Ryder van, jumped a curb and steered the vehicle down a wide sidewalk running along Yonge Street. He charged down the sidewalk for over a mile, swerving to hit as many pedestrians as he could. He struck 24 of them, 10 fatally, before he turned the van down Poyntz Avenue, parked and exited it. When he was confronted by an armed police officer, Minassian repeatedly mimicked that he had a gun, eventually screaming for the officer to shoot him. Instead, the officer took him to the ground and handcuffed him, bringing an end to his bloody rampage....

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