TORONTO – The suspect charged with stabbing two soldiers at a military recruitment centre has been remanded into custody until next week.
Ayanle Hassan Ali, 27, who faces nine charges, including three counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault, made a brief court appearance in Toronto on Friday and will return on March 24.
“We’ll try to assess the probabilities of bail and get the appropriate sureties,” said Ali’s lawyer David Burke.
The accused allegedly walked into the office located in a federal government building in north Toronto around 3 p.m. Monday and slashed a male soldier behind the counter in the arm with a “large knife.”
Police say Ali then tried and failed to stab a female soldier before being subdued by Forces members, one of whom was injured in the process.
The two soldiers suffered minor wounds in the attack.
Burke said his client is upset over the situation and that it is “a very trying time for him.”
“He’s definitely not happy about it, He’s very upset. Of course it’s a very scary process for him. He’s holding up under the pressure as one might under the circumstance.”
READ MORE: Stabbing suspect once had restricted airport security clearance
During a brief court appearance on Tuesday, Ali – who was born in Montreal and moved to Toronto five years ago – stared at the floor and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
At that hearing, neither the Crown nor defence lawyer David Burke asked for Ali to undergo a psychiatric examination, however, Burke has said he might ask for bail today.
The accused had previously worked at Toronto’s largest airport and had access to restricted areas.
Ali worked for a third party employer at Toronto Pearson International Airport from December 2008 to March 2009 and possessed a Restricted Area Identification Card, according to the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
READ MORE: Accused in military stabbing said ‘Allah told me to do this’: police
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders has said that while at the scene of Monday’s attack, Ali stated that “‘Allah told me to do this; Allah told me to come here and kill people.”‘
-With files from The Canadian Press
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