Tragedy struck the Canadian capital of Ottawa when six people from Sri Lanka, including a mother and four young children, were fatally stabbed, police said Thursday. The shocking incident has deeply affected a nation where mass killings are rare.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his horror, calling the event a "terrible tragedy." The father of the family was also injured in the attack and is currently hospitalized.
Authorities have announced that a 19-year-old Sri Lankan student named Febrio De-Zoysa has been arrested and charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. It has emerged that De-Zoysa had a relationship with the family and had been staying at their home.
Among those who lost their lives in this tragic incident were a 35-year-old woman and her children, aged 7, 4, 2 and 2 months, as well as a 40-year-old man who was related to the family.
During a televised press conference, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs described the violence as a 'senseless act' that targeted innocent people. Authorities said they had no prior contact with the suspect or the family.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe expressed his dismay in a social media post, calling it "one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city's history". The city of one million recorded 14 murders in 2023 and 15 in 2022.
The victims were discovered in a home in the southwestern suburb of Barrhaven. Police responded to 911 calls shortly before 11pm on Wednesday.
In Canada, mass killings are rare. In December 2022, a man shot five people in a Toronto suburb before being fatally shot by police.
In September of the same year, an individual stabbed and killed 11 people in the western province of Saskatchewan; he later died of a cocaine overdose shortly after his arrest.