OTTAWA (AFP) – Canadian police issued warrants for the arrest of two fugitives who are the target of a massive manhunt after allegedly carrying out a stabbing spree that left 10 people dead and 18 wounded.
The killings in the remote James Smith Cree Nation Indigenous community and the town of Weldon in Saskatchewan province in western Canada are among the deadliest incidents of mass violence to ever hit the nation.
Police have been scouring Saskatchewan and two neighboring provinces for the men, whose motives remain unclear, since early Sunday.
Evan Bray, police chief of provincial capital Regina, said that the two suspects may hiding out in the city -- 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the site of the attack -- after suspected sightings in the area.
They “are still at large, despite relentless efforts” to locate them, Bray said. “There’s a lot of grief. There’s a lot of anxiety in our province and in our communities,” he added, vowing to continue the pursuit until the suspects are caught.
Authorities have released few details of the crimes, except for descriptions of the alleged attackers they say fled in a vehicle.
They have been identified as Myles and Damien Sanderson, aged 30 and 31 respectively, both with black hair and brown eyes.
In a video address in Ottawa, after ordering the flag on parliament lowered in memory of the victims, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the attacks were shocking and heartbreaking.
“This kind of violence has no place in our country,” he said. “Sadly, over these past years, tragedies like these have become all too commonplace.”
Since 2017, Canada has witnessed a rampaging gunman masquerading as a policeman kill 22 people in Nova Scotia, another kill six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque, and a driver of a van kill 11 pedestrians in Toronto.
Residents of the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon spoke of their shock and devastation, and have identified two of the victims as a 77-year-old widower and a 49-year-old mother of two.
Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said that authorities believe some of the victims were targeted and others were attacked randomly.
Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron lamented “the unspeakable violence that claimed the lives of innocent people.”
In a statement, he blamed “harmful illegal drugs (that) invade our communities” for the destruction.
Foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, sent messages of condolences, calling the attack “horrific,” “brutal” and “senseless.”