Man dies in explosion at Toronto Tim Hortons. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Toronto — The heart of Toronto’s trendy Yorkville shopping district was shocked to a standstill Sunday after an explosion killed one man at a Tim Horton’s outlet.

Police would not confirm early reports that a man had entered the washroom shortly before the blast with explosives strapped to his body. Police Insp. Nick Memme confirmed that an explosion occurred in the washroom at the rear of the restaurant, but said few other details were immediately available. “We’re early on in the investigation, still,” Insp. Memme said.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang; police said no one else was involved and there were no other injuries.

Eunice Almeida, 23, a regular patron of the Tim Hortons outlet, said she spoke to employees shortly after it was evacuated. One woman told her the blast was felt as a sudden shock through the store. “There was an explosion in the men’s washroom, then there was a stampede and everybody ran out,” said Almeida.

A Tim Hortons spokesman confirmed the dead man was not an employee, but his identity was not immediately known.

UPDATE at 4/2/06 5:43:38 pm:

It was a can of gasoline.

A small can of gasoline is being blamed for an explosion that rocked a downtown Toronto Tim Hortons, claiming one man’s life and causing the evacuation of a city block Sunday afternoon.

The blast occurred in the washroom of the coffee shop, located near the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets, just after 1 p.m. Emergency crews responded to the scene and unsuccessfully tried to revive the victim. He is not an employee of the restaurant and his identity is not known. No other injuries were reported. …

Early Sunday evening, police said an unidentified man went into the coffee shop’s washroom carrying a gasoline container. According to police, another man smelled gasoline fumes and ran out, yelling. A few moments later the blast occurred.

Investigators do not know what ignited the gasoline or what the deceased man’s motives were. Suspicion is focusing on either suicide or arson. They say he was definitely not a terrorist.

“He’s not a strap-on al-Qaida bomber guy,” Toronto Police Staff Sgt. Don Cole said Sunday evening. “It sounds to me like a guy who either wanted to do a torch job or commit suicide.”