At a news conference on Sunday, Quebec City Police Chief Robert Pigeon said it was believed that the attack was premeditated, adding that the suspect, a 24-year-old man from the Montreal suburbs, came to Quebec City with “the intention of doing the most damage possible,”
“Dressed in medieval costume and armed with a Japanese sword, everything leads us to believe he chose his victims at random,” Pigeon said, adding that preliminary information indicated the man was not affiliated with any terror group.
Le Soleil – a Quebec newspaper – said the suspect also had gasoline containers in his car, according to Reuters, however, Pigeon declined to comment on that report.
This is not the first time the police department has heard of the suspect. In 2014, the suspect made a violent threat. “That information would have been revealed in a medical context over five years ago. It was not something that was in a criminal record,” Pigeon said.
The incident occurred late on Halloween night, around 11:30 local time. The suspect was arrested near the Espace 400e business park. He was found lying on the ground, barefoot and hypothermic when he was arrested. He surrendered to police without any resistance, the Quebec newspaper said, according to the BBC.
Following his arrest, the suspect was taken to hospital for “evaluation.” The five victims who were injured in the attack were also taken to the hospital. “Some have very significant lacerations but we do not fear for their lives,” Pigeon said, per the Associated Press.
