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Alek Minassian, Toronto Van Suspect, Allegedly Praised Elliot Rodger Before Attack
Alek Minassian appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.
The driver accused of killing 10 people in Toronto had an apparent fixation on the American mass murderer who killed people because women would not have sex with him.
Alek Minassian, 25, allegedly praised Elliot Rodger in a Facebook post hours before ramming into pedestrians on a busy sidewalk Monday afternoon.
"The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!" said the post, which appeared on a Facebook page matching Alek Minassian's name and appearance.
"Incel" is a term for someone who is involuntarily celibate. Rodger, 22, killed six people near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus in May 2014. In a 107,000-word manifesto, Rodger complained about being a virgin and said his massacre was revenge for women rejecting him.
The user who wrote the Facebook post appeared to call himself "Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010" and referenced 4chan, the message board website that is home to many extremist subcultures.
Authorities have not officially confirmed the authenticity of the post. But law enforcement sources told CNN and NBC News it appeared to come from Minassian, whom neighbors described as odd and unsociable.
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said Minassian was not known to authorities, but U.S. law enforcement officials have said otherwise. His motive for the attack is unknown and police have not deemed it a terror attack.
Minassian, who lived in a Toronto suburb, appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. He did not enter a plea.
Witnesses to the mayhem said Minassian showed no emotion as he ran people down in a rental van.
"It was like he playing a video game, trying to kill as many people as possible," Panna Patel told CBS News. "He was looking people directly in the eye, making eye contact, it was so scary. He wasn't remorseful at all."
One of the ten victims has been identified as Anne Marie D'Amico, an employee at an investment management firm, according to CBC News.
D'Amico was reportedly an employee at Invesco, a U.S.-based investment management firm.
Toronto residents have left flowers, candles and notes where the incident occurred in a makeshift memorial.
[Photo: Getty Images]
