The 2018 Toronto Van Attack

The attack

On April 23, 2018, a rented van was deliberately driven along a Toronto sidewalk, striking pedestrians. Ten people were killed in the attack and sixteen others were the subjects of attempted-murder counts. A further victim, Amaresh Tesfamariam, died years later from injuries sustained that day; the original criminal convictions remained the ten murder counts tried before the court.

Trial and criminal responsibility

Alek Minassian admitted carrying out the acts but argued that he should be found not criminally responsible because of mental disorder. In a detailed 2021 judgment, the Ontario Superior Court rejected that defence. The court found that he understood the nature and quality of his actions and knew that murder was morally and legally wrong.

He was convicted of ten counts of first-degree murder and sixteen counts of attempted murder. This page does not repeat online ideological material associated with the case; criminal responsibility rests on the court's findings rather than notoriety or internet subculture.

Sentence

In June 2022, Minassian received life imprisonment for the murders with parole eligibility after 25 years. That structure reflected the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in the Quebec City mosque case that consecutive periods of parole ineligibility for multiple murders were unconstitutional.

Eligibility to apply for parole after 25 years does not mean release is automatic. The Parole Board would decide any future application under the law then applicable.

The appeal remains active

Minassian filed a conviction appeal in 2022. The appeal was still active in 2026. On February 26, 2026, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed a production motion seeking additional Crown materials concerning a forensic psychiatric expert. The court made clear that the motion arose within the still-pending conviction appeal.

That 2026 ruling did not quash the convictions. The ten murder and sixteen attempted-murder convictions remain in force unless and until an appellate court changes them. Because the merits appeal has not been finally resolved, this archive classifies the case as Partially Adjudicated.

Timeline