Americans scrambled for details after Oct. 22

Internal U.S. security bulletins show American authorities in Canada and south of the border closely monitoring last October’s shooting in Ottawa, with the American embassy locked down and officials scrambling for details.

The records also shed light on how U.S. news networks were the first to report shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s identity after he was killed in a gunfight with the RCMP and Parliament Hill security officers outside the Library of Parliament. The first Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bulletin was sent at 10:17 a.m. on Oct. 22, exactly 25 minutes after Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in front of the National War Memorial, before rushing to Parliament Hill.

“There are unconfirmed reports of two possible shootings at the National War Memorial of Canada and the nearby Parliament library,” reads the bulletin, obtained through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act. “Embassy Ottawa, less than one mile from the two sites, is on lockdown and conducting accountability.”

That set off a flurry of activity, as U.S. security officials as far away as Hawaii alerted each other of the attack. Much of the initial information came from the news media, and included what turned out to be false reports of additional shootings at the Château Laurier and the Rideau Centre.

The bulletins note that the attack follows the killing of another soldier, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed after being struck by a car driven by a man police said was “radicalized.” The bulletins waste no time drawing a link with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “While the exact motivation of the attack is unknown at this time, the tactics used are consistent with recent guidance by an ISIL spokesman that called for attacks in the West, to include Canada, and mentioned targeting military and law enforcement personnel,” reads a bulletin sent to senior DHS officials at 10:43 a.m.

While Canadian authorities were refusing to say whether the attack was linked to terrorism, U.S. authorities were circulating a memo entitled “Attack in Canada by Possible Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Supporter Reinforces Threat by Lone Offenders.” The memo was not made public.

A separate email exchange between U.S. officials reads: “Tweets on Twitter from ISIS are excited about this incident, for those monitoring cyber world.” The Americans learned early that the shooter had been killed. But it wasn’t until the afternoon that one of their diplomats in Canada was able to confirm Zehaf-Bibeau’s identity, and that he wasn’t a known threat.

“Homeland Security Investigations Attaché has learned through Canadian contacts the identity of the shooter is Michael Zehaf-Bibeau,” reads a bulletin sent at 2:55 p.m. “Intelligence database checks are negative on exact name/(date of birth).” The note adds: “There is no indication of motivation at this time.”

An hour later, CBS News became the first to report Zehaf-Bibeau’s name and age. There were questions at the time about how a U.S. news network was the first to get the shooter’s identity. Canadian officials waited another few hours before confirming the report.

The bulletins also reveal that in response to the attack, the U.S. Army increased security at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., though there were “no known terrorist links or threats to the U.S. based on this incident.” The New York Police Department also provided additional security for the Canadian and British consulates in New York.

While U.S. authorities have been reportedly working with Canadian counterparts to flesh out what happened in the aftermath of Oct. 22, the incident dropped off the radar as an immediate concern over the following days.

“Canadians returned to the grounds of their parliament building on Saturday, three days after a homegrown radical rushed in armed with a rifle after shooting a soldier dead,” reads a report dated Oct. 25.