Posted on 04/02/2006 6:44:14 PM PDT by GMMAC
No terrorism in deadly Toronto doughnut shop explosion: police
Last Updated Sun, 02 Apr 2006 21:16:42 EDT
CBC News
Police have ruled out terrorism as the cause of an explosion at a Tim Hortons doughnut shop in a trendy downtown area of Toronto on Sunday, killing one man.
The victim was likely an arsonist or attempting suicide, Staff Sgt. Don Cole of Toronto police told reporters hours after the explosion.
"He's not a strap-on al-Qaeda bomber guy," Cole said. "It sounds to me like a guy who either wanted to do a torch job or commit suicide."
Police said the man apparently carried a can of gasoline into a washroom stall about 1 p.m. local time at the doughtnut shop in the city's Yorkville area, and set off a flash fire that killed him.
The victim was an unidentified male who was pronounced dead at the scene with severe burns to his body. Nobody else was injured.
Explosion triggered flash fire: police
Police Chief Bill Blair earlier described the incident as a flash fire rather than a bombing. Two blocks in the downtown area were cordoned off as police investigated.
"It appears that there has been a very hot and intense fire in an enclosed area within the washroom," Blair said. But he declined to speculate on the cause of the fire.
"Until we determine precisely what happened in that cubicle and what caused those flames that took that man's life, I really can't speculate," he said.
Police said the victim was not a Tim Hortons employee.
They have not confirmed reports the man was seen entering the washroom with wires or possibly explosives strapped to his body.
After the incident, a police robot was used to remove a duffel bag from the doughnut shop, which is on Yonge Street just north of the intersection with Bloor Street. Explosives experts detonated the bag with a loud bang.
Police did not say what the package contained.
Eunice Almeida, 23, a regular patron of the coffee outlet, told the Canadian Press that a shock wave went through the restaurant.
"There was an explosion in the men's washroom, then there was a stampede and everybody ran out," Almeida said.
Eyewitness Jenny Phillips told Reuters that she heard bangs like pops from a firecracker and a scream "that will haunt me forever" as she left the washroom area.
She smelled burnt powder and saw a "wall of flames" inside the men's washroom before staff herded the two dozen customers outside.
"I thought the roof was caving in," she said. "People were screaming."
Blast rattles shop workers
Employees who appeared shaken were escorted from the scene, and some attempted to shield their faces from the throng of television cameras.
They refused to answer questions, but Tim Hortons district manager Amin Islam said they were doing well. "I'm just making sure they're going home safely," he said.
Daryl Fuglerud, a spokesman with Toronto's fire department, told reporters the man who died had burns to his body.
"It doesn't appear that there was much of a fire at all," Fuglerud said. "There was a very small amount of smoke upon our arrival."
Fuglerud said the investigation was turned over to police because it was a "possible criminal" case.
Copyright ©2006 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - All Rights Reserved
Move along! :)
Have experience with the lone, suicide bomber theory here at OU -- only problem is that they now admit he accidentally blew himself up which translates into he was trying to blow all of us up but couldn't get in the stadium that night.
Also the FBI is setting up a terrorism office here to take care of the 'potential' lone, suicide bombers that might come forward. (saracasm)
Breaking news unfolding can be quite fascinating.
It doesn't have a men's room.
You're right. No ID, no watch, no keys, no car, no cellphone? Someone must have reported a missing husband or relative by now....unless the guy came in from NY. I'm inclined to believe he might have entered Canada at Niagara. Apparently no one at the local Tim Horton's knew him.
This is deja vu for anyone living here in Norman OK and was at the game where the police also blew up a suspicious backpack with nothing in it.
Give me a break -- this is tracking just like the lone, suicide, depressed bomber here at an OU football game who 'accidentally' blew himself up (latest line on the story) and whose roommate had tickets for the Middle East for the next morning but he (roommate)never saw or smelled any bomb making supplies in the apartment. The same apartment/car that yielded enough explosives to have the NPD make 18 trips to the dump for explosives because if they had it in a vehicle all together and it blew up, it would have taken out a city block.
I work with men. Seems they can go where anywhere they feel the earth needs watering. :-)
The police aren't always lying though.
It wasn't our local police that wasn't telling the 'truth' -- it was the OU President and FBI. Since then the local FBI office has a new head and some new agents.
The FBI is setting up a terrorism office here in Norman to handle the non-terrorism ties here! :)
Was there ever any confirmation that a guard stopped him from going into the stadium? Has anyone stepped forward to say that is what happened? Last I heard no one had but I haven't followed this in some time.
Norman PD briefed some organizations that they believe he blew himself up 'accidentally' while trying to turn off the bomb after attempting to get in the stadium. Guard was silenced by his employer from several accounts. It hasn't been denied but two sources won't go on record confirming. When you hear that, the logical conclusion is that yes he did try to enter the stadium.
Guard silenced by the university or a security service?
That's good to know.
Beats me. Their donuts are better than Krispy Kreme. And Tim Horton was just a hockey player; not the usual target for terrorists. Course, they're probably not allowed to play hockey either.
I guess they don't want people to panic and they figure that people are stupid enough to believe them when they say it's not terrorism. Blowing oneself up in public is just becoming your next trend in suiceds...Riiight.
Guess this person must have tasted the coffee, and needed to wash his mouth out with gasoline.
Nothing to see here, move along!!!
The donut shop is near the intersection of Yonge and Cumberland.
Davenport Road is exactly 1 block north.
Though not born in Toronto
I lived near the Yonge Bloor intersection for several years
I know the area well
have been a satisfied customer of Canadian Tire many times
and have learned to avoid donut shops
though it still is a mystery to me
how Tim Horton's manages to make donuts
that are stale from the moment they are put on the rack.
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