Ayanle Hassan Ali, Toronto attacker, said ‘Allah’ told him to stab soldiers

A Canadian man says he acted on orders from Allah when he stabbed two soldiers outside a recruiting center in Toronto, authorities said Tuesday. 

Ayanle Hassan Ali, 27 has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon, the Agence France Presse reported.

The attack on Monday comes just over two years after Islamist attackers killed two solider in Ottawa and in rural Quebec.

The attacker entered the building and allegedly stabbed a soldier in the arm at the reception desk, then tried to stab another soldier before he was subdued, according to AFP. 

Police said neither victim was seriously wounded. 

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said the suspect was overheard saying at the scene of the attack, “Allah told me to do this, Allah told me to kill people,” AFP reported.

Toronto police have asked federal prosecutors to help them determine if the suspect is linked to organized extremist movements.

Few details about the suspect, who was born in Montreal and settled in Toronto in 2011, have been released.

“He has family, I’m not sure exactly where they’re located,” Chief Saunders told AFP. 

After his arrest, the suspect was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation and was scheduled to make a brief court appearance later Tuesday.