In this courtroom sketch, attorneys are present in court as Alek Minassian appears by video in Toronto in May 2018.

The man who confessed to driving a van into a crowd of pedestrians on a busy Toronto sidewalk in April 2018 told police he wanted to spark an “uprising” after being inspired by incel ideology online and real-life violence perpetrated by men who harbor a deep-seated hatred for women.

The video and transcript of Alek Minassian’s nearly four-hour interview was made public Friday after Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy lifted a ban on its publication.



Eight women and two men were killed in the van attack, and more than a dozen others were seriously injured.

While being interrogated by Detective Rob Thomas hours after the attack, Minassian revealed that he frequently posted on incel — or involuntarily celibate — forums online, where men who believe they’re entitled to sex and affection from women express their misogynistic views, complain about sexual rejection and having to compete with so-called alpha males, and threaten violence against women.