Toronto Van Attack

April 24, 2018

Tons of interesting things surrounding the Toronto van attack.

Yes, it can happen here too.
This CBC article is great. A good amount of detail for <12 hours in, with appropriate caveats. Neutral tone, clear language.
Kudos to that one cop for taking him alive, especially (by the looks of it), single-handedly. This is despite the attacker making intentionally threatening gestures while trying to appear like he had a gun. A lot of police would have just shot him; now he can be questioned, understood, and brought to trial.
I was just having a conversation this weekend about how most common factor for mass attackers of this sort isn’t race, religion, or economic situation; it’s detachment from society/humanity. This guy seems to fit that mould, at least in the initial reports: without many friends, possibly unable to find a romantic partner. He sounds suicidal, and was possibly looking to win his fame in his last act. (Note: I’m speculating a bunch here.)
I’m glad he didn’t have a gun. At the very least, he probably would have been shot by the cop. If he had a working gun, there’s a pretty good chance he would have shot the cop, more bystanders, and/or himself.
“Minassian” is an Armenian name. Armenians are basically right at the traditional East/West divide in terms of geography, culture, and race. Keep that in mind when you hear someone describe him as belonging to Group X. I think that will say a lot about the speaker.