A man was charged with terrorism on Monday (April 4) after he threatened a person with a knife and slit the throat of another who was seriously injured on a bus in British Columbia, western Canada, according to court documents.
Abdul Aziz Kawam faces four counts, including attempted murder and assault, committed
"for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group, namely the Islamic State"
, documents filed by the Service say. Canadian criminal prosecutions.
The suspect first threatened a man at a bus stop by putting a knife to his throat on Saturday morning near the town of Surrey, in the remote suburbs of Vancouver, local authorities said.
The victim, however, managed to flee by pushing the attacker, said Amanda Steed, spokesperson for the Metro Vancouver Transit Police in an email to AFP.
Shortly after, the attacker boarded a bus where he was allegedly in conflict with another passenger.
"During the altercation, one of the men allegedly pulled out a knife and slit the other's throat
," police said.
Seriously injured, the victim underwent emergency surgery and is expected to recover.
“During our investigation, it was established that the suspect had made several disturbing comments”
, underlined Amanda Steed to explain the charges brought against the suspect, while specifying that
“the victims and the suspect did not know each other”
.
Abdul Aziz Kawam appeared Monday morning in a provincial court.