Details have emerged on the 19-year-old boy of Sri Lankan origin behind the mass stabbing of a Sri Lankan family in Ottawa, Canada, with reports claiming that he was acquainted with the victims.
The suspect, identified as Febrio de-Zoysa, has been charged with murder over the incident reported late on Wednesday, which was described as a ‘terrible tragedy’ by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The victims were a woman (35) and her four young children aged between 4 years and 2 ½ months, and her female friend. The woman’s husband who sustained serious injuries is hospitalised and in stable condition.
According to Canadian Police officials, de-Zoysa had been living with the victims for quite some time, while they had also celebrated his 19th birthday a few days ago.
The suspect has no prior criminal records and was living in Canada after arriving to pursue his education.
A monk from the Buddhist monastery attended by the victims and a friend of the father who survived the attack said his friend had disclosed that nothing seemed wrong leading to the rampage.
The monk further revealed that according to his friend, there had been no issues between the family and de-Zoysa.
The teenager had recently moved into their basement to pursue his education in Ottawa, while the victims had also met his parents while in Sri Lanka.
However, the monk said, his friend had disclosed that de-Zoysa was facing problems in school and had recently become suicidal.
His friend had also revealed that the suspect had attacked his family and had thereafter, attacked him the moment he had returned home after a cleaning job.
Febrio de-Zoysa has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
His next court appearance is fixed for March 14, 2024. (NewsWire/ foreign media)
