You know how this kind of thing can happen: how often have you rushed out of the house, late for where you need to be, and forget that you’re carrying your meat cleaver? But not to worry: it had nothing to do with terrorism. He’s mentally ill, you see. Authorities repeat that claim with increasing frequency, never pausing to ponder why Muslims who are mentally ill tend to do things like put on suicide vests and carry meat cleavers into Parliament much more frequently than mentally ill non-Muslims do.
“Toronto man, 56, charged with carrying concealed cleaver into Parliament,” by Andrew Seymour, Ottawa Citizen, November 18, 2015 (thanks to all who sent this in):
A Toronto man who allegedly tried to carry a meat cleaver onto Parliament Hill is to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
A lawyer for Yasin Ali asked for the assessment in court Wednesday after the 56-year-old appeared by video from the courthouse cellblock on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He will remain in jail until his next appearance on Friday, when he is to appear in court in person.
A man had a ticket to visit the Peace Tower, and was in line to go through the visitors’ entrance at about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday when a House of Commons security guard asked him to open his coat. The guard found the man was concealing a large cleaver with an approximately six-inch-long blade. The man never made it as far as the metal detectors.
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson told reporters that Ali is known to authorities, but “not in the sort of counter-terrorism context.”
In fact, Paulson does not believe that the man’s actions were politically motivated or an act of terror.
“I understand it is less a concern around so-called national security considerations as it is a mental health issue,” he said. “There is a history of behaviours that are odd.””
Paulson added that he was “very pleased with the response of the security service. That’s exactly what they are supposed to do. They did that. They did it well.”
Ali’s court appearance Wednesday was slightly delayed after it became apparent he might need the assistance of an interpreter as he speaks Somali Arabic.
It is not known why he was in Ottawa or on Parliament Hill….