23 October 2014
Last updated at 14:39 GMT
Canada's
parliament has returned to work, a day after a gunman rampaged through
its corridors before being shot dead by the sergeant-at-arms.
It opened with applause for the sergeant and a moment's silence.
The gunman, reportedly a Muslim convert, also shot and killed a soldier at Ottawa's nearby war memorial.
His mother has told Associated Press news agency she is crying for the victims of the shooting, not her son.
It was the second attack on Canada's military in three days.
Standing to address the MPs to warm applause, Prime Minister
Stephen Harper's first words were: "I know we will always stand
together."
The objective of the attacks was to instil fear and panic in Canada, he said.
But he vowed to expedite security measures to strengthen powers of surveillance and detention.
Cpl Nathan Cirillo died of his injuries
"We will be vigilant, but we will not run scared. We will be prudent, but we will not panic.
"And as for the business of government, well here we are, in
our seats, in our chamber, in the very heart of our democracy and our
work goes on."
On Monday, another soldier was killed in a hit-and-run in the
province of Quebec. Mr Harper described the perpetrator, who was shot
dead, as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist".
Canada recently announced plans to join the US-led campaign
of air strikes against IS militants in Iraq but no link to IS or the new
military campaign has been confirmed by police investigating the latest
attack.
The morning after: Ottawa citizens react to shooting
The gunman was reportedly a Muslim convert named Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who was on a Canadian watchlist.
His mother Susan Bibeau said she was crying for the victims and was at a loss what to say to those hurt in the attack.
"Can you ever explain something like this?'' she said. "We are sorry."
The shooting suspect
Canadian media quoted police sources as confirming this as an image of Michael Zehaf-Bibeau
- Named as 32-year-old Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a petty criminal with a history of convictions for minor drug offences and theft
- Officials believe he recently converted to Islam; a friend he met at a mosque described him as unstable
- His mother is thought to be an immigration official, his father a Libyan who once ran a cafe in Montreal
The suspect: A trail of petty crime
The attack began on Wednesday morning, as two soldiers guarding the memorial came under fire from a man carrying a rifle.
One soldier, Cpl 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 gunman was shot dead by Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, 58.
Footage from the Globe and Mail shows a hail of bullets being fired inside the Canadian parliament building
"MPs and [Parliament] Hill staff owe their safety, even lives,
to Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers who shot 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.
A floral memorial at the army base in Hamilton, where Cpl Nathan Cirillo was from
Police quickly moved in to seal off the area around the parliament building
Are you in Ottawa? Were you affected by the events yesterday? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
copy http://www.bbc.com/
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário