11 die as car rams into Filipino fest in Canada, UAE slams act

Vancouver police have ruled out terrorism in a car ramming attack that killed 11 people at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, saying the suspect has a history of mental health issues.

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"We have had substantive contact with him over mental health issues," Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai told a news conference.

The United Arab Emirates has condemned the car-ramming attack that took place during a festival for the Filipino community in Vancouver, Canada, which resulted in the death and injuries to a number of innocent people.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence targeting innocent people and aimed at undermining security and stability.

The Ministry expressed its solidarity with the government and people of Canada and the government and people of the Philippines over this deplorable attack, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.

A man drove a vehicle into a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, killing 11 people and injuring more than 20 others, in what authorities described as a car ramming attack that shook the country ahead of federal elections. The vehicle entered the street at 8:14 pm on Saturday and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department said in a social media post.