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U of Waterloo stabbing at gender studies class amounts to terrorism: prosecutors

Federal prosecutors say the charges against a man accused of a triple stabbing targeting a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo amount to terrorism offences.
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A Waterloo Regional Police vehicle is seen at the scene of a stabbing at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ont., Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Federal prosecutors say the charges against a man accused of a triple stabbing targeting a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo amount to terrorism offences. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

Federal prosecutors say the charges against a man accused of a triple stabbing targeting a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo amount to terrorism offences.  

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions George Dolhai says the 11 charges laid against Geovanny Villalba-Aleman over the June 28 attack "constitute terrorism offences." 

Dolhai provided the Ontario court of justice in Kitchener, Ont., with the attorney general's consent to start terrorism proceedings against Villalba-Aleman on Friday morning. 

Police have alleged the 24-year-old former University of Waterloo student walked into the gender studies class, asked the 38-year-old professor for the subject of the class and then attacked her with two large knives.

Two students – a 19-year-old man and 20-year-old woman – were also stabbed and police said the suspect then attempted to stab another person. 

The stabbing victims sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the attack that police have described as hate motivated. 

Villalba-Aleman is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 15

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press

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