RCMP say the man suspected of carrying out weekend attacks in Edmonton that left five people injured, including a police officer, had been on their radar in the past.
30-year-old Somali refugee Abdulahi Hasan Sharif has been charged with five counts of attempted murder, five counts of dangerous driving and one weapons-related offence.
No terrorism charges have been laid so far. He was once investigated for allegedly espousing extremism, but he was found not to be a threat.
A bail hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
There is a chilling warning from terrorism expert Mubin Shaikh who told CityNews he expects something like this will happen again.
“[Abu Bakr al-] Baghdadi recently released a new audio tape saying the same things, in particular increased attacks, step up ramming attacks,” he said.
This was the first ramming attack on civilians in Canada.
Calgary-Nosehill MP Michelle Rempel said the incident speaks to a systems failure.
“Certainly we’ll be looking for more information on how this happened and then fighting to make sure that there are mechanisms in place to prevent this from happening in the future,” she said.
She’ll be pressing for more information in Ottawa and believes this incident could spark a public policy debate when it comes it immigration.
Provincially, the NDP has cancelled all planned media events and announcements previously scheduled for Monday.
In a statement, Premier Rachel Notley said the horrific events in downtown Edmonton have left us shocked and angry.
UCP interim leader Nathan Cooper said the attacks are a reminder to all of us that the fight against terrorism remains the greatest challenge of our generation.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said all Calgarians stand with our sisters and brothers in Edmonton adding Albertans are resilient and this will not weaken the strong and diverse community that defines us.
Investigators are expected to provide another update Monday morning.
