Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the fact the suspect in an Edmonton attack is a refugee doesn’t point to security holes in the asylum system.
Goodale says there’s no indication that when Abdulahi Hasan Sharif applied for refugee status in 2012 there were any red flags raised.
READ MORE: Who is Adbulahi Sharif?
Sharif currently faces multiple charges in connection with an attack that saw an Edmonton officer stabbed and four people injured on Saturday night.
That Sharif entered Canada as a refugee has raised renewed concerns over how closely asylum seekers are vetted when they apply for refugee status.
READ MORE: How police decide who is a terrorist threat and who isn’t
Goodale says the existing procedures place a very high premium on public safety and international records are checked before asylum claims are allowed to proceed.
Watch below: Ralph Goodale says suspect in Edmonton attacks had “some appearance” on police watch list
READ MORE: Edmonton cop protected his gun from terror suspect while fending off knife attack
Sharif became known to police in 2015 after a report that he might have been radicalized, but investigators determined at that time that he did not pose a threat.
Watch below: After a refugee was charged with five counts of attempted murder following an attack in Edmonton, questions remain about the screening process he went through. Vassy Kapelos explains.
Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of the Edmonton attacks