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Terror strikes at heart of Canada

OTTAWA — At least two unidentified gunmen traumatised the heart of the Canadian government yesterday, killing a soldier guarding the National War Memorial and then entering the nearby Parliament building, where multiple rounds were fired. Police officers rushed to secure the building and move occupants to safety as they hunted for the assailant.

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OTTAWA — At least two unidentified gunmen traumatised the heart of the Canadian government yesterday, killing a soldier guarding the National War Memorial and then entering the nearby Parliament building, where multiple rounds were fired. Police officers rushed to secure the building and move occupants to safety as they hunted for the assailant.

Ottawa Police Constable Marc Soucy said shots were fired at three places in the Canadian capital — at the National War Memorial where the initial shooting occurred, on Parliament Hill and near the Rideau Centre Mall, all located within a few hundred metres of each other. The attacks appeared to be coordinated.


Source: CNN

Prime Minister Stephen Harper had been inside Parliament at the time of the shooting but was evacuated safely, Reuters reported. The entire area, known as Parliament Hill, was placed on lockdown as police reinforcements arrived.

Canada’s CBC TV said a suspected gunman was shot dead inside the Parliament building, but it was not clear if he was acting alone. Ottawa police said they were actively looking for one or more suspects.

Witnesses said the gunman shot the soldier and ran into the House of Commons, firing dozens of rounds. Reuters reported that the soldier did not survive the shooting.

Several other buildings — including the University of Ottawa — were in lockdown yesterday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned people in downtown Ottawa to stay away from windows and rooftops.

The shootings in the heart of the normally placid Canadian capital came two days after a hit-and-run crash in a small Quebec city that killed one Canadian soldier and injured another. The authorities consider it an act of terrorism.

Canada said on Tuesday it had raised its terrorism threat level to medium from low because of a rise in “general chatter” from radical groups such as the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Canada has been relatively isolated from any previous terror threats, although security analysts recently told The Wall Street Journal the threat in the country had been rising for over a decade following its military involvement in Afghanistan and given Mr Harper’s strong support for Israel and criticism of Iran. Canada is one of the countries participating in the United States-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

“This is the kind of day that changes everything,” Mr John McKay, a Member of Parliament (MP), tweeted.

Journalists covering Parliament were ordered by police officers at gunpoint to lie on the floor in the foyer in front of the House of Commons, The Globe And Mail reported on its website. Its correspondent Josh Wingrove said in a series of Twitter posts that the hallways were filled with the smell of gunpowder.

At least 10 Royal Canadian Mounted Police squad cars had converged on Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, as heavily armed officers wearing bulletproof vests went into the complex.

Centre Block is the main building at Parliament Hill, a sprawling complex of buildings and open space in downtown Ottawa. It contains the House of Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of some MPs, Senators and senior administration for both legislative houses.

Meanwhile, some people in Parliament fled by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations, witnesses told the Canadian Press news agency.

A construction worker on the scene told Reuters he heard a gunshot and then saw a man dressed in black with a scarf over his face running towards Parliament with a gun.

The man stopped a black car at gunpoint and hijacked it, construction worker Scott Walsh told Reuters. The driver got out safely and the man drove the car to the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, where construction work was under way.

The gunman rushed past a woman with a child in a stroller, who ran away screaming. He did not attack them, Mr Walsh said.

The authorities said the suspect in Monday’s attack, 25-year-old Martin Couture-Rouleau, a Muslim convert, had been on the radar of federal investigators who feared he had jihadist ambitions and seized his passport when he tried to travel to Turkey.

The Islamic State group has urged supporters to carry out attacks against Western countries, including Canada, that are participating in the coalition fighting the militants, who have taken over large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. Agencies

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