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No Evidence to Suggest Toronto Attacker Had Connection to the Islamic State, Despite Group’s Claim of Responsibility

No Evidence to Suggest Toronto Attacker Had Connection to the Islamic State, Despite Group’s Claim of Responsibility

Created: Thursday, July 26, 2018 - 13:49
Categories:
Physical Security, Security Preparedness

Two people were killed and 13 others were injured when a gunman opened fire last Sunday on a busy Toronto street. The Islamic State’s AMAQ news agency quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming the perpetrator “was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition countries." However, no evidence has emerged that the man had any ties to the terrorist organization, and his parents released a statement that suggested his actions were the culmination of a lifetime of mental illness that included depression and psychosis. The Islamic State’s attempt to claim this attack, as well as other recent, similar incidents (including the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017), has eroded the group’s credibility and further revealed how much it has descended into a state of chaos. This trend seems to have begun in about mid-2017, when as a result of territorial losses the Islamic State was no longer to maintain networks for reaching out to supporters and providing them with support and encouragement. Whereas before the group’s claims of responsibility were taken more seriously, today they’re treated with much skepticism. CBC and The Foreign Desk.