By Ethan Lou
EDMONTON, Alberta, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Canada defended its immigration and refugee vetting system on Monday after a Somali immigrant, who had drawn scrutiny for his alleged extremist views, was charged with attempted murder for a weekend vehicle and knife attack that injured five.
Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 30, is accused of running down a police officer with his car in Edmonton, Alberta, and then stabbing him repeatedly. He then ran down four pedestrians during an attempt to evade capture.
He faces 11 charges including five for attempted murder linked to the rampage in the western Canadian city on Saturday night. police have not charged Sharif with terrorism, they said the investigation was still in its early stages. He was targeted in a probe two years ago for promoting extremist ideology, but deemed to pose no threat after what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) described on Sunday as an "exhaustive investigation."
"The complexities of a terrorism investigation are vast. As the investigation unfolds and further information is gathered, if further charges are warranted they will be pursued at that time," RCMP Superintendent Stacey Talbot told a news conference.
Two of the four people injured on Saturday remained in hospital, with one listed in serious condition, Talbot said.
The attack puts sharp focus on the relatively warm welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered refugees earlier this year after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.
Canada has seen a surge in illegal border crossings this year as people fearing a U.S. immigration crackdown and possible deportation sought asylum.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said it would be wrong to blame the attack on any alleged shortcomings or failures in Canada's immigration and refugee vetting system.
"There's absolutely no evidence of that whatsoever. The investigation is ongoing, but that conclusion is just not supported by the facts," Goodale told reporters in Ottawa as he headed into a meeting of the Liberal government's cabinet.
The incident in Edmonton began when a Chevy Malibu slammed into a police officer standing in front of a football stadium at about 8:15 p.m. (0215 Sunday GMT), hitting him with enough force to send him flying into the air.
The driver then got out of the car and stabbed the officer multiple times before fleeing in a truck, according to police accounts and surveillance footage.
Police identified the suspect when he stopped at a checkpoint and his license showed that he was the owner of the Malibu. He fled the checkpoint, however, and was only arrested after careening across a downtown street and hitting four pedestrians.
A flag of the Islamic State militant group was found inside the Malibu, said Rod Knecht, police chief of Edmonton, Alberta's provincial capital.
Despite the incident, Canada's government said it was keeping the terrorist threat level at medium, where it has been since late 2014 after two deadly attacks attributed to homegrown radicals. The incidents led to tougher new anti-terrorism measures.
In October, 2014, a gunman killed a soldier at Ottawa's national war memorial before launching an attack on the Canadian Parliament. In the same week, a man ran down two soldiers in Quebec, killing one.