Suspect was briefly in forces

Photo: The Canadian Press

The man accused in a van attack that left 10 people dead in Toronto had spent two months with the Canadian Armed Forces last year, and was considered a below-average recruit who wasn't adjusting well to military life, a defence source said Tuesday.

Alek Minassian was a member of the forces from Aug. 23, 2017, until Oct. 25, 2017, a spokeswoman with the Department of National Defence said.

"He did not complete his recruit training and requested to be voluntarily released from the CAF after 16 days of recruit training," said Jessica Lamirande.

Minassian, a 25-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., was charged on Tuesday with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder in Monday's alleged van attack. Police said he will soon face an additional count of attempted murder.

A source with the military told The Canadian Press that Minassian attended the leadership and recruit school at St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and noted that he did not receive any weapons training while there.

The source said Minassian was assessed as a below-average recruit but noted that there were no red flags to suggest something like the van incident he's alleged to have been involved in was coming.

Ten people were killed and 14 people injured after a van mounted a sidewalk and drove into pedestrians along a busy stretch of a north Toronto street Monday afternoon. Minassian was arrested a short time later.