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Police officers in front of the crime scene in the Canadian capital
Photo: Blair Gable / REUTERS
In the Canadian capital Ottawa, police have charged a 19-year-old Sri Lankan man with the murder of six Sri Lankan nationals, including four children aged between seven years and two months.
Five of the victims are said to have been members of the family where the suspect lived.
The suspect is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
The perpetrator used a “sharp weapon” or a “knife-like object,” said Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs.
Husband survives seriously injured
According to Stubbs, the deceased were Sri Lankan nationals who recently arrived in Canada.
Killed were a 35-year-old woman, her seven-year-old son, a four-year-old daughter, a two-year-old daughter and a two-month-old baby, as well as a 40-year-old person who was known to the family.
A seventh victim, the husband, is in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
"The victims' father was found injured at the scene," Stubbs said, adding, "This was a senseless act of violence committed against completely innocent people."
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Ottawa had previously confirmed that the victims were a family of Sri Lankan nationality.
They are in contact with relatives in the capital Colombo.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “shocked” and “horrified by this terrible violence.”
svs/AP