One of the Mississauga restaurant bombers could be a woman: police

One of two suspects behind an explosion at a popular Indian restaurant in Mississauga that left 15 people injured could be a woman, said police on Tuesday.

Two separate birthday parties were happening and 30 people were inside Bombay Bhel, when two people entered the restaurant, placed an IED inside, walked out and detonated it, said police Superintendent Rob Ryan.

Police had said on Friday that both suspects were men. On Tuesday, based on witness accounts and video evidence, they say one of them could be a woman. They also confirmed the EID was homemade.

The motive is “not clear,” said Ryan.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility, and police maintain that there’s no indication that the incident was a terrorist act or a hate crime, although they haven’t ruled anything out.

Asked about how long the suspects were in the restaurant, Ryan said it “wasn’t very long.” They fled eastbound on foot.

Fifteen people were rushed to hospital with injuries from the explosion. Three people were in critical condition, but were subsequently upgraded to stable condition and released the following day.