Article content

A man believed to be the suspect in an attack that injured five people in Edmonton over the weekend was detained days after arriving in the United States from Mexico, U.S. officials said.

Abdullahi Hassan Sharif, who sources say is the same person as Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, the man charged with attempted murder after a knife and vehicle attack in Edmonton on Sept. 30, entered the United States at a pedestrian crossing near San Diego, Calif., in 2011, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Edmonton attack suspect entered United States through Mexico, officials say Back to video

Sharif is originally from Somalia, RCMP officials said. He made an asylum claim at a Canada-U.S. border crossing in 2012 and was granted refugee status later that year, according to the office of federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

On July 12, 2011, Sharif arrived at the San Ysidro port of entry near San Diego on foot with no documents and no legal status to enter the U.S., said CBP spokeswoman Jacqueline Wasiluk.