Alek Minassian, the man who killed 10 pedestrians with a van in Toronto on Monday, was aligned with an online subculture of men who consider themselves “involuntarily celibate” or “incels,” according to a Facebook post reviewed by Toronto police and Canadian media.
From CTV News:
A Facebook post that police allege was written by the Toronto van attack suspect contains militaristic language linked to an online group of men who feel victimized because they are involuntarily celibate, experts say.
The post was allegedly written before the Monday afternoon attack, which killed 10 people and injured 14 others. Alek Minassian, 25, appeared in court Tuesday to face charges in connection with the pedestrian deaths and injuries.
In the Facebook post, a user named Alek Minassian wrote: “The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”
Elliott Rodger, the 22-year-old who killed six people before committing suicide in Isla Vista, California in 2014, said that he had been motivated by sexual rejection in a manifesto and videos posted to YouTube. “Chads” and “Stacys” are terms used to describe popular and attractive people in online forums for “incels.”
Toronto police said Tuesday that the victims of Monday’s attack were “predominantly female.”
