In the middle of the corona pandemic, a bloody attack in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia triggered horror last weekend. The perpetrator killed 22 people before he himself was killed by the police. Now there are first indications of the background.
Halifax (dpa) - According to investigators, the worst bloody event in the history of Canada may have been caused by a dispute between the later perpetrator and his girlfriend.
The man argued with his girlfriend and attacked her violently, but she was able to escape, the investigators said on Friday at a press conference.
This incident "could possibly have been the catalyst that started the whole thing," said investigator Darren Campbell. However, this had to be examined in more detail, and a planned act could not yet be ruled out. The girlfriend hid in the woods after the attack, later informed the police and provided the key information to investigate the crime, the investigators said.
A 51-year-old man in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia killed at least 22 people last weekend in the incident. Three other people were injured, several properties and cars were set on fire. After around 12 hours of chase, which spanned an area of around 100 kilometers, the man had been killed by the police at a petrol station in Enfield.
Because the perpetrator wore a police uniform and drove a car that looked like a police car, it was very difficult to find him, the investigators said. How he got this equipment was initially unclear.
Numerous Canadians wanted to commemorate the victims on Friday and therefore wear red clothes and take a minute's silence.