Canada’s prime minister vowed the country would “not be intimidated” after a reported Muslim convert stormed parliament and killed a soldier, the nation’s second “terrorist” attack in days.
The gunman, whose name was on a terror watch list, tried to force his way into Canada’s parliament on Wednesday before the assembly’s sergeant-at-arms shot him dead.
The attack — the second this week targeting Canadian military personnel — came as Canadian jets were to join the US-led bombing campaign against militants in Iraq.
Photo: EPA
“Canada will never be intimidated,” Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the nation in a televised address after the shootings on Wednesday.
“In fact, this will lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts and those of national security agencies to take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe,” he said.
The spectacular security breach came two days after an alleged Islamist ran over two soldiers in Quebec, killing one of them, in what officials branded a terrorist attack.
In audio of the attack on parliament, repeated shots could be heard booming through its chambers.
The suspect, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau who was said to be a convert to Islam, had a record of drug offenses and robbery.
Dave Bathurst, who met the 32-year-old Zehaf-Bibeau in a mosque about three years ago, said his friend did not at first appear to have extremist views, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
However, he said that at times, he exhibited a disturbing side.
“We were having a conversation in a kitchen, and I don’t know how he worded it. He said the devil is after him,” Bathurst told the the CBC.
He said his friend frequently talked about the presence of Shaytan in the world — an Arabic term for devils and demons.
“I think he must have been mentally ill,” he said.
Bathurst last saw Zehaf-Bibeau praying in a mosque in the Vancouver area six weeks ago and said he spoke of wanting to go to the Middle East. He insisted he was only going abroad with the intent of learning about Islam and to study Arabic.
Zehaf-Bibeau was considered a “high risk” suspect, according to reports, whose passport had been confiscated to prevent him joining militants abroad.
He first shot and killed a Canadian soldier who was on ceremonial guard at a war memorial on Parliament Hill in downtown Ottawa, before storming into the nearby parliament building.
The slain soldier was named as Corporal Nathan Cirillo. At least three people were admitted to hospital with minor injuries.
The attacker was killed, reportedly by a shot fired by the bearer of the Canadian House of Commons’ ceremonial mace, Sergeant-At-Arms Kevin Vickers, who was hailed as a hero by lawmakers.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said it appeared the shooter had acted alone.
Lawmakers, staff and reporters, evacuated from the historic building, spoke of intense gunfire inside.
Paul Clarke, a builder who was working in parliament at the time, said: “It has just been a nightmare.”
Canadian Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott said that House of Commons security had told one of his aides the suspect had been killed inside parliament.
“I heard this ‘pop, pop’ — possibly 10 shots, I don’t really know,” Liberal Party member John McKay told reporters outside.
Passers-by told reporters that a bearded man had gunned down the soldier and hijacked a passing vehicle to take him the short distance to parliament.
Local media reported that the suspect, raised in Laval, Quebec, about 16km from Montreal, had an extensive criminal record, including robbery and drug charges to which he pleaded guilty.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) on Wednesday said that a new chip manufacturing technology called “A16” is to enter production in the second half of 2026, setting up a showdown with longtime rival Intel over who can make the fastest chips. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of advanced computing chips and a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple, announced the news at a conference in Santa Clara, California, where TSMC executives said that makers of artificial intelligence (AI) chips will likely be the first adopters of the technology rather than a smartphone maker. Analysts said that the technologies announced on
NO RECIPROCITY: Taipei has called for cross-strait group travel to resume fully, but Beijing is only allowing people from its Fujian Province to travel to Matsu, the MAC said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday criticized an announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism that it would lift a travel ban to Taiwan only for residents of China’s Fujian Province, saying that the policy does not meet the principles of reciprocity and openness. Chinese Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Rao Quan (饒權) yesterday morning told a delegation of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers in a meeting in Beijing that the ministry would first allow Fujian residents to visit Lienchiang County (Matsu), adding that they would be able to travel to Taiwan proper directly once express ferry
CALL FOR DIALOGUE: The president-elect urged Beijing to engage with Taiwan’s ‘democratically elected and legitimate government’ to promote peace President-elect William Lai (賴清德) yesterday named the new heads of security and cross-strait affairs to take office after his inauguration on May 20, including National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to be the new defense minister and former Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) as minister of foreign affairs. While Koo is to head the Ministry of National Defense and presidential aide Lin is to take over as minister of foreign affairs, Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) would be retained as the nation’s intelligence chief, continuing to serve as director-general of the National Security Bureau, Lai told a news conference in Taipei. Koo,
MANAGING DIFFERENCES: In a meeting days after the US president signed a massive foreign aid bill, Antony Blinken raised concerns with the Chinese president about Taiwan US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of “responsibly managing” the differences between the US and China as the two sides butt heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues, including Taiwan and the South China Sea. Talks between the two sides have increased over the past few months, even as differences have grown. Blinken said he raised concerns with Xi about Taiwan and the South China Sea, along with China’s support for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues