The BBC has an article about the recent shooting in Ottawa, Canada:
Canada's prime minister, Stephen Harper, has insisted his country will not be intimidated, after a gunman rampaged through Parliament before being shot dead. He described the attacker as a terrorist, and promised to "redouble" anti-terror efforts.Rico says good shooting by Vickers.
The gunman, reportedly a Muslim convert named Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed a soldier at an Ottawa war memorial before entering Parliament.
It came a day after another Muslim convert killed a soldier in Quebec.
Harper described that earlier attack as a plot inspired by the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The Queen of England, as Canada's head of state, said she was "shocked and saddened" by the shootings.
The mother of Zehaf-Bibeau told The Associated Press news agency she was crying for the victims of the shooting, not her son. "Can you ever explain something like this?" Susan Bibeau said. "We are sorry."
Earlier this month, Canada announced plans to join the US-led campaign of air strikes against IS militants in Iraq. However, there is no official confirmation that either of this week's attacks are directly linked to IS or the new military campaign.
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was a petty criminal with a history of convictions for minor drug offenses and theft. Officials believe he recently converted to Islam; a friend he met at a mosque described him as unstable His mother reported to be an immigration official and his father a Libyan who once ran a cafe in Montreal, Canada.
In a televised address, Harper said: "We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated. In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe."
Harper stressed that the perpetrators "will have no safe haven" in Canada, but admitted the attacks showed that the country was "not immune to terrorist attacks". Harper had been meeting with MPs at the time of the shooting, but was safely evacuated.
Reporters, politicians, and staff barricaded themselves into chambers in the Parliament building
The attack began as two soldiers guarding the memorial came under fire from a man carrying a rifle. One soldier, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, died of his injuries. Three other people were treated in hospital and released by evening. Minutes after the attack at the memorial, dozens of shots were fired inside the Parliament building.
The day that followed the attack left Canada in a state of shock. Eyewitness Alain Merizier said: "You don't have time to be afraid, just surprised"
The gunman was shot dead by Sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers, 59, (photo, bottom) whose brother said: "We're very, very proud of him"
"MPs and Parliament staff owe their safety, even lives, to Sergeant at Arms Kevin Vickerss, who shot the attacker just outside the MPs' caucus rooms," New Democrat MP Craig Scott tweeted.
Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, had apparently been designated a high-risk traveller, and had his passport taken away because of suspected jihadist sympathies. A Twitter user who posted an image purporting to show Zehaf-Bibeau said it had come from an IS-linked account. Zehaf-Bibeau had a police record for petty crime, including possession of drugs and robbery.
In his evening address, Harper described him as a terrorist. "In the days to come we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had," Harper said.
line
Witnesses identified the parliamentary Sergeant-at-Arms, Kevin Vickers as the man who shot the attacker. Vickers, 58, took up his role in 2006 after thirty years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He last made headlines in 2011, when he supported the right of Sikhs to wear ceremonial daggers in the House of Commons
The BBC's Samira Hussain says officials are determined that it will be "business as usual" in the city
A wide area in central Ottawa was sealed off amid reports that other gunmen may have been at large. However, police said they were satisfied there had been only one attacker.
Some parliamentary staff, politicians and journalists were forced to remain barricaded inside the building for several hours. Parliament Hill is still closed to the public, but MPs are expected to return to work soon.
In a telephone conversation with Harper, President Barack Obama condemned the attacks.
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