Suspect in throat slashing on Surrey bus faces four terrorism charges

SURREY, B.C. – A suspect accused of slashing a person's throat on a bus in Surrey, B.C., has been charged with four terrorism-related offences in the attack that left a man with life-threatening injuries.

Surrey provincial court documents show that Abdul Aziz Kawam, born in 1995, is accused of four counts of acting "for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group, to wit: the Islamic State."

He also faces one count of attempted murder, one count of assault and one count of aggravated assault for slashing the neck of a man with a knife on Saturday.

The court documents show that Kawam is accused of assault in a separate case for allegedly attacking another person on that same day.

Kawam, who was back in Surrey provincial court Monday, will appear next in court on Wednesday.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they discovered during their investigation that "the suspect made several concerning comments," leading investigators to notify the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.

The terror charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Police say the knife attack took place on a bus on Saturday near the intersection of 148th Street and Fraser Highway.

Transit police say one man allegedly took out a knife and slashed the other across the throat, before being arrested at the scene by transit police and Surrey RCMP officers.

Transit police say that the man also allegedly displayed and held a knife to the throat of another individual at a bus stop about four blocks from the scene of the other crime, just before the slashing attack. That person was able to push the assailant away and escape unharmed, police say.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023.