Chilling Post Links Toronto Suspect to 'Incel' Subculture

A Facebook message posted minutes before Monday's horrific attack in Toronto appears to link suspect Alek Minassian to the same twisted subculture that inspired California mass killer Elliot Rodger in 2014. In the post, which Facebook has confirmed is genuine, Minassian praises Rodger as the "Supreme Gentleman" and declares: "The Incel Rebellion has already begun!" He was referring to the "involuntarily celibate" movement, which the Guardian describes as a "deeply misogynistic online subculture." Adherents rant against women and consider Rodger a hero for striking out at a world where they believe they are being unjustly deprived of sex because they are "beta males." More:

• "Chads and Stacys." The New York Times has more on the subculture, which derides sexually active men and women as "normies" or "Chads and Stacys." In his post, Minassian vowed: "We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys!"

• Military service. In the now-deleted post, Minassian referred to himself as "Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry" and used a military code. The Canadian military has confirmed that the 25-year-old enlisted last August but asked to be released after 16 days of basic training. A fellow recruit tells the Globe and Mail that Minassian, who left about a week before he would have been issued a rifle, was quiet and did not associate with other recruits.
• More background. Minassian is believed to have recently completed a college course in which he focused on computer chips. Classmates and other associates say he had a form of autism. "He was afraid of girls and very shy in general," former high school classmate Nikki Feinstein tells the Globe. "He didn’t say much, but when he did he was difficult to understand because of his cognitive disabilities."
• Questions about authenticity. The post also referred to notorious online community 4chan, raising suspicions that Minassian's account may have been hacked by somebody who created the post and altered the timestamp, the Toronto Star reports. A Facebook rep, however, says the company believes the post was legitimate. "This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the people who have been affected," she says. "There is absolutely no place on our platform for people who commit such horrendous acts."
• New York honors victims. The AP reports that the Empire State Building went dark to honor victims of the attack. Ten people died and at least 13 were injured when the van allegedly driven by Minassian sped down a busy sidewalk, leaving what a medical worker called "pure carnage."

• Court appearance. Minassian made a brief court appearance Tuesday morning and appeared to understand the charges against him, CTV reports. He is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder.
• The victims. Ontario's chief coroner says it could be days before the names of all the victims are released, since they are trying to balance the need to know with the need for 100% accuracy, the CBC reports. The victims, predominately women, range in age from their mid-20s to their 80s and include people from Jordan and South Korea, officials say.
• Hero officer. Officer Ken Lam, a seven-year veteran of the Toronto force, is being widely praised for the restraint he showed in arresting Minassian, who brandished an object and falsely claimed to have a gun in his pocket, the Guardian reports. Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack says Lam is shaken by the attack. As praise rolled in, "he was more concerned about the victims," McCormack says. "He said 'Mike, I followed my experience and my training. Okay, I made this arrest, which is great, but I’m just doing my job.'"

(More Alek Minassian stories.)