The man who allegedly stabbed two uniformed soldiers at a Canadian Forces recruiting office on Monday once worked as an overnight baggage handler at Pearson International Airport, sources tell CP24.
Sources say Ayanle Hassan Ali, now 27, worked for a contractor at the airport, loading baggage and other items into waiting aircraft overnight.
They say he was a quiet person who kept mostly to himself.
He started work at Pearson in December 2008 but was terminated after less than one month due to attendance issues, sources say.
Ali was required to obtain a restricted area identification card in order to carry out his work, which allowed him to enter many sensitive areas of the airport so long as it pertained to his job.
The process to obtain clearance involves a local police background check as well as a federal probe for ties to any known criminal or terrorist groups.
On Monday afternoon, police arrested a suspect after Canadian Forces members were attacked at a government building on Yonge Street in Willowdale.
Police have said a man wielding a knife said that Allah told him to carry out the attack.
Police have said the investigation is in its early stages and they are still trying to determine a possible motive in the attack.
On Wednesday police searched the home on Albion Road, near Weston Road, where the suspect lives with his mother and sister.
Ali has been remanded into custody pending his next court appearance.
