A Canadian man who ploughed a van into pedestrians in Toronto in 2018 was on Friday found guilty on all 26 charges related to the attack.

A judge ruled that Alek Minassian is guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.

The 28-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In her ruling, Justice Anne Molloy noted that the rampage was "the act of a reasoning mind," adding that Minassian has "no remorse for it and no empathy for his victims."

"He freely chose the option that was morally wrong, knowing what the consequences would be for himself, and for everybody else," CBC quotes Molloy. "It does not matter that he does not have remorse, nor empathize with the victims.

"Lack of empathy for the suffering of victims, even an incapacity to empathize for whatever reason, does not constitute a defense."

A police report on the incident noted that on the afternoon of 23 April 2018, Minassian drove a rented van down Yonge Street near Finch Avenue, veering onto the busy sidewalk and hitting one person after another.

(With input from agencies)