Tim Hortons is something of a Canadian icon, similar to Starbucks--Canadian style. Canadian military personnel now in Afghanistan have been clamouring for a piece of home away from home, and their pick of that piece is Tim Hortons in Khandahar and Kabul. If this fire-bombing gone well was poitically motivated or jihadi related, we could easily see Tim Horton as the symbol in Canada to attack.
As things now stand, with the Canadian authorities clamping down on furhter information, we will have to wait for bloggers to find out more for us. Rightly so, most people outside Canada won't know Tim Horton from Wimpy. For those who know Canada, this is resonant. We must rely now on bloggers.
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Julian Fantino, commissioner of Emergency Management Ontario, the provincial agency in charge of co-ordinating the response to events such as terrorist attacks, did not return phone calls Monday.
Mr. Fantino's office was kept aware of the incident as it was unfolding, said Public Security Minister Monte Kwinter.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com
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Below is a further update from Canadian Sentinel:
http://thecanadiansentinel
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It's hard to explain to Americans just how Canadian Tim's is - if apple pie is all-American, then Tim's is defintely all-Canadian. Even if you "don't like their donuts" - it's a bit of a national debate, but everyone knows how they feel about Tim's, Tim's donuts, Tim's coffee ("double-double" just got into the Canadian Oxford Dictionary). . . . They've used "True Patriot Love" (a quote from the national anthem) as an advertising slogan, for pete's sake, and a Tim's is being sent to Afghanistan , at the request of the Canadian equivalent of the American Head of the Joint Chiefs, to help fuel the Canadian soldiers there. So -- you can imagine how people were reacting when this story was breaking.
http://megquinn.blogspot.com
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Some one didn't like the coffee.
An "unidentified some person" exploded in the washroom at Tim Hortons doughnut shop in Toronto, Canada today near Yonge and Bloor streets. Think of Time's Square. Think Charing Cross Station. Think of your busiest intersection. Think of the local coffee shop.
We can ask Mr. Islam, owner of doughnut shop, for his impressions of today's bombing. We'll have to await further details to know if there is any further connection to the religion of peace.
Man dies in explosion at Toronto Tim Hortons
Canadian Press
Toronto
A man died Sunday after an explosion in the washroom of a Tim Hortons doughnut shop in downtown Toronto, police said.
They did not immediately confirm reports, by radio station AM-640, that a man had entered the washroom shortly before the blast with explosives strapped to his body.
Police said no one else was involved and there were no other injuries. They couldn't say whether the dead man was a customer or an employee.
The blast happened at the shop east of Yonge Street and north of Bloor, one of the busiest intersections in the city, at around 1 p.m. local time. Traffic was tied up in the area and Yonge Street was closed in both directions.
Fire department spokesman Daryl Fuglerud said the man had burns to his body.http://www.theglobeandmail.com
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[Bombing at Russian subway station]
Several hours after the explosion, a crowd of employees were escorted away from the scene together with Tim Hortons District Manager Amin Islam. They appeared shaken, and some attempted to shield their faces from the throng of television cameras. They refused questions, but Islam said they were doing well.
http://my-shangri-la.livejourna
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A Tim Hortons spokesman confirmed the dead man was not an employee, but his identity was not immediately known. [....]
A second loud bang was heard in the area several hours after the first, but police would not immediately confirm whether it was the intentional detonation of remaining explosives on the scene, or an unrelated blast.
[....]
One woman who works in the area said the threat of violence so close to home came a surprise to her.
"It's scary - it's like you're just not safe anywhere," said Safina Vig, 29. "Anything can happen at any moment, especially in your own neighbourhood."
http://www.canada.com/topics****
Bathroom explosions? Happens once in a while. Cranky customers, you know.
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Tel Aviv blast injures 20
Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:17:12 EST
CBC News
As many as 20 people were injured on Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a restaurant near Tel Aviv's old central bus station, a week ahead of the Palestinian elections.
The bomber was killed and one other person was seriously wounded, said emergency workers.