Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he has written to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressing sadness over the killing of 10 people and the injuring of 14 others during a van attack in Toronto on April 23.
The following day, police in Toronto charged the man accused of plowing the rented van into pedestrians on busy Yonge Street with 10 counts of first degree murder.
“I was deeply troubled to learn of the dastardly incident in Toronto on April 23, when several persons were killed and others injured in what appears to be a deliberate atrocity by a culprit who has been arrested and charged by police,” said Browne in his letter to Trudeau.
He also expressed deep condolences to the people and government of Canada, particularly the family and friends of those who were killed, according to an Antigua and Barbuda government statement on Thursday.
“We also wish a full recovery to the injured,” Browne wrote. “Toronto is the home of many thousands of Canadians who visit Antigua and Barbuda regularly on holiday; it is also home to many persons born in Antigua and Barbuda. In this regard, this incident touches us greatly.
“Beyond that, as part of our one human family, we share with Canadians the expectation that our peoples should conduct their normal lives without fear, and we join your government in remaining vigilant to incidents, such as this one, that are becoming all too frequent, while we continue to preserve the freedoms that are integral to our societies,” the prime minister added.
Canadian authorities have called the attack an act of terrorism.
