The man accused of attempted murder after a police officer was hit by a car and stabbed is still waiting for psychiatric assessments due to a critical bed shortage at an Edmonton mental health hospital.
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Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, who is facing five counts of attempted murder in the Edmonton terror attack earlier this fall, was back in court Wednesday.
Last month, a judge agreed with Sharif’s lawyer that the 30-year-old’s mental health should be reviewed, so the accused was ordered to undergo two psychiatric assessments.
However, court heard Wednesday that he has yet to be seen because there is a critical bed shortage at Alberta Hospital. He is to be admitted on Thursday and is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 12.
One test was to determine if Sharif is mentally fit to stand trial. He must be able to understand the legal proceedings and to give directions to his lawyer.
A second test was to determine whether Sharif should be found not criminally responsible, due to his state of mind at the time of the alleged attacks.
Sharif was charged after a series of events on Saturday, Sept. 30. It started when a speeding car rammed through a police barrier directing traffic for an Edmonton Eskimo game, sending Edmonton Police Service Const. Mike Chernyk flying five metres through the air. The driver got out of the Chevrolet Malibu and began stabbing the officer.
A few hours later in downtown Edmonton, four pedestrians were hit and injured by a U-Haul cube van being pursued by police on Jasper Avenue. The incident ended when the van crashed.
Edmonton police, along with the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), have been investigating the attack as an act of terror.
However, terrorism charges were not laid against Sharif and there is no word from investigators on whether they will be laid in the case.
READ MORE: A timeline of Canadian terrorist incidents
Legal experts say terrorism charges are difficult to prove and do not necessarily give any greater punishment or benefit from the prosecution’s perspective.
Sharif is a Somali refugee who came to Canada in 2012 and had been on police radar for a few years. He is married and his wife lives in Africa. He has no dependent children in his care.
READ MORE: Who is accused Abdulahi Sharif?
— With files from The Canadian Press
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