Trudeau urges Canadians to not live in fear

OTTAWA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians not to live in fear on Tuesday after a man mowed down pedestrians with a van in a "senseless attack" in Toronto, killing 10 and injuring 15 others.

"We must not start living in fear and uncertainty every day as we go about our daily lives," the prime minister told a news conference in Ottawa. "Canadians across the country are shocked and saddened by this senseless attack."

However, he added: "We must remain a country that is open and free and comfortable with its values, and we will continue to do that." Officials will "reflect on the changing situations in which we are in, and do everything we can to keep Canadians safe," Trudeau said.

Alek Minassian, 25, "deliberately" drove a rented van onto sidewalks along Toronto’s busy Yonge Street Monday afternoon. Over a stretch of nearly one kilometer, he struck dozens of people, leaving 10 dead.

The prime minister pointed out, as his Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had done the day before, that "there’s no connection to national security," effectively ruling out any terrorist attack.