Toronto rampage suspect referenced extremist male ‘incel’ movement

The suspect in Monday’s Toronto van attack referenced an extremist “men’s rights” movement and praised a 22-year-old mass shooter in a Facebook post made before the attack.

The post from Alek Minassian, 22, has since been deleted. Minassian has been charged with 10 counts in the van attack, which killed 10 people and injured 15 others. 

“Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan please,” Minassian wrote. “C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!”

Minassian’s message praises Elliot Rodger, the 22-year-old who killed six people in a California rampage in 2014 and left behind a manifesto detailing his anger toward women. Rodger’s social alienation and violence have made him a hero in certain extremist, misogynist sections of the internet.

Minassian’s reference to an “incel rebellion” refers to the internet’s self-described movement of the “involuntarily celibate” — men who are angry, often at women, because they’ve failed to find sexual partners.

Minassian’s post mentions 4Chan, an anonymous online message and image board popular with members of the far-right. Minassian also references “Chads and Stacys” — an internet meme referring to stereotypically “popular” men and women who are reviled by self-identified incels.  

Incel forums, including one on 4Chan, often feature hate speech about women. Reddit shuttered its own incel forum in 2017 over concerns about its extremist content. 

“I can confirm on background that the post screenshotted in this tweet was real and has been removed from Facebook along with Minassian’s account,” a Facebook representative told The Hill.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attack “senseless” in a statement Tuesday.

“On behalf of all Canadians I offered my deepest, heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of all those who were killed and we wish a full recovery to the injured and stand with the families and friends of the victims,” he said.