Conversion to Islam alarmed neighbours
SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU,
Que. • In the quiet residential neighbourhood where Martin Rouleau lived his 25 years, there was sadness but not surprise Tuesday that the kid who grew up across the street had allegedly targeted members of the Canadian military for death.
One neighbour said he was not surprised to learn it was Mr. Rouleau who is believed to have targeted two military personnel with his car Monday, killing Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, before trying to escape and being shot dead by police as he charged them with a knife.
“It’s a shock in the sense that it was someone across the street, but on the other hand, we thought that one day there could be a dramatic incident, considering his activities,” said the man, who declined to give his name.
Another neighbour, Lyse Laroche, said she immediately guessed Mr. Rouleau was responsible when she heard of Monday’s attack in the parking lot of a Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu shopping centre. “We knew right away it was him,” she said. “There was no doubt.”
A next-door neighbour said she has known Mr. Rouleau since he “was in his mother’s belly.” Her daughter played with him when they were small, and she watched him grow into a seemingly healthy adult.
But about a year and a half ago, “we saw a big change,” she said, asking that her name not be published. He “entered a bubble”: He stopped talking and announced on social media that he had changed his name. “My daughter told me, ‘Martin is now calling himself Ahmad,’ ” she said.
On the increasingly rare occasions he was seen outside, Mr. Rouleau had a long beard and wore a turban, neighbours said. Shelley Brennan said she thought a Muslim man had moved into the neighbourhood. “I found out it was Martin, and I was shocked,” she said.
He had begun attending the Al-Imane Mosque in a SaintJean-sur Richelieu strip mall next to a paint store. A man arriving for evening prayers Tuesday said Mr. Rouleau had been a regular there for about a year but stopped attending the mosque about two months ago. “He didn’t talk much,” the man said, declining to give his name.
As he increasingly dropped from view, Mr. Rouleau appeared to plunge deeper into the world of radical Islam online. A Twitter account in the name of Ahmad Rouleau displayed the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq and AlSham, the terrorist group that last month called on its followers to kill Canadians. A Facebook page in the same name denounced Christianity and Judaism and said “hypocrites” would be cursed by Allah and face “enduring punishment.” One photo from a Muslim social networking site, published by La Presse, shows him holding a Koran with only his eyes visible through a checked scarf.
Other public images suggest he was not long ago leading an outwardly typical Western life. In one photo, he is smiling for the camera clutching a bottle of champagne. He briefly ran a cleaning company called JMTR Lavage à Pression Inc., but did not appear to have steady work recently.
Neighbours said he was the father of a young boy, about three years old, but his expartner has custody of the child. Mr. Rouleau still lived in his parents’ home, and in the backyard a plastic toy castle and riding car could be seen Tuesday.
Several neighbours said they were alarmed by Mr. Rouleau’s conversion to Islam and his open sympathizing with radicals. “It worried us in the sense that we knew he had converted to Islam and that he chatted online with extremists from Arab countries,” said the neighbour from across the street.
“I considered alerting the RCMP, but I was worried I might have problems if I got involved. I know they were already aware.”
The next-door neighbour described Mr. Rouleau’s father, Gilles, as a peaceful man who tried to help his troubled son. She said Mr. Rouleau had been “brainwashed” by online radicals. “I don’t think it’s a terrorist act,” she said. “He needed help. We could see that he needed psychiatric help.”
The RCMP said Tuesday Mr. Rouleau had been in their sights for two months, but on Monday he was unwatched as he sat in the parking lot for more than two hours, apparently awaiting his targets.
Lieutenant Guy Lapointe of the Sûreté du Québec said Mr. Rouleau’s beige Nissan was spotted at the crime scene at 9:15 a.m., and it was just after 11:30 a.m. that Warrant Officer Vincent was struck.
“The working thesis is that it’s a deliberate act,” Lt. Lapointe said. “With regards to how far was it planned, it’s really hard to say. The investigation is starting.”