Canada vows to beef up security
Gunman sought passport to go to Syria, officials say
Government officials review policies in wake of attacks.
OTTAWA, Ontario — As U.S. military forces have engaged in more than a decade of war across the Middle East, America has found an unwavering partner in Canada, a country with an otherwise peaceful image.
Now, after two deadly attacks launched against members of the Canadian armed forces in less than a week, fears have mounted over whether the country’s participation in the war against Muslim extremists has come back to haunt it.
The Canadian government is scrutinizing its laws and policies to see if they are strong enough to deal with rising national security threats after two of its citizens, who were flagged by authorities as being safety risks, were successful in carrying out high-profile attacks.
Addressing the chamber just yards from where a gunman was shot dead the day before, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged Thursday to expedite a plan to give the country’s security forces greater powers in the areas of surveillance, detention and arrest.
“The objective of these attacks was to instill fear and panic in our country,” he said. “Canadians will not be intimidated. We will be vigilant, but we will not run scared. We will be prudent, but we will not panic.”
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the gunman who carried out a shooting rampage at Parliament and a nearby war memorial, had applied for a passport and wanted to go to Syria, security officials said Thursday.
But they said they were satisfied that he acted alone and there appeared to be no connection be t we e n Wednesday’s attack and one that took place in Quebec on Monday, when a man described as a Muslim extremist ran over two Canadian soldiers with his car, killing one, before being shot dead by police.
Bob Paulson, commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, described Zehaf-Bibeau at a news briefing Thursday as a 32-year-old Canadian who also may have held Libyan citizenship.
He was born in Montreal, had lived in Calgary and Vancouver, and had been in Ottawa since at least Oct. 2 to deal with his passport application, Paulson said.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been contacted to conduct background checks on ZehafBibeau, who had been staying in a homeless shelter and had a history of arrests for drugs, violence and other infractions.
Paulson said authorities have received reports that Zehaf-Bibeau held extrem- ist beliefs. “This individual’s email was found in the hard drive of someone who we’ve charged with a terrorist-related offense,” he said. “But what does that mean? We need to understand what that means.”
Contrary to reports Wednesday, Zehaf-Bibeau was not one of 93 “high-risk travelers” that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating.
After fatally shooting Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, who was standing guard at Ottawa’s war memorial, Zehaf-Bibeau got into a car that he had purchased the previous day and drove the short distance to Parliament Hill, according to a timeline presented at the news conference. The legislative complex consists of several buildings, known as blocks.
Security camera footage captured Zehaf-Bibeau as he parked his vehicle in front of one entrance and started running toward the East Block, where vehicles belonging to Parliamentarians were parked. He seized one of the vehicles, which he used to drive to the main Parliament building where lawmakers were holding caucus meetings, the footage showed.
Police vehicles on site gave chase and were seconds behind Zehaf-Bibeau when he ran through the main doors, Paulson said. Inside, there was an exchange of fire involving the suspect, House of Commons security and police officers. Zehaf-Bibeau was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a brief interview with The Associated Press, the suspect’s mother, Susan Bibeau, offered a tearful apology Thursday.
“Can you ever explain something like this?” she said. “We are sorry. If I’m crying, it’s for the people, not for my son.”
Security has been heightened at military bases and government buildings nationwide. Canadian soldiers in the Ottawa area were ordered not to wear their uniforms in public, unless on duty.
Shawn Perry, 41, an air traffic controller from the Canadian province of Newfoundland, said he was concerned about the possible repercussions of what the attacks might mean for Canadians’ rights.
“I know that there needs to be more done here to increase security,” he said. “I just don’t want lawmakers to overreact and encroach on them.”