The last time our country’s northern allies faced a terrorist attack was almost near 30 years ago when an air bombing of an India flight to London from Toronto killed 329 people. This past Wednesday on October 22 Quebec native, Michael Zehef-Bibeau, 32, armed and dangerously killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo, 25, outside of Parliament building in Canada’s capital Ottawa, Ontario. He then lost his own life when Canadian officials entered the scene where the shoot off began.
“We’re all shaken by it,” said America’s President Barack Obama on this tragic incident. Zehef-Bibeau was reportedly a Canadian of Algerian descent who had changed his name to Michael Joseph Hall. According to reports, gunman Zehef-Bibeau shot Cirillo twice intentionally in order to get into Parliament Building. Zehef-Bibeau, whose passport had been seized when he was designated as a “high risk traveller”, had planned to be traveling to Syria.
It seems to be that ever since the Canadian government authorized a six-month commitment to the U.S. that led air offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to help provide assistance has provoked many emotions. This move might have been a major factor that triggered many of the Canadian-born Muslims living in Canada.
The recent shooting along with Islamic State Forces threats to urge attacks on Canada has raised the terrorism threat level in Canada from low to medium for the first time since Aug. 13, 2010 according to an internal document obtained by Global News. There are some reasons to worry that this terror attack in Canada just actually might be part of something even bigger.
As for Cirillo, he leaves behind his beloved family consisting of his wife, little son, and pet dog. The death of Cirillo has made it nationwide. This past Friday Canada held a special memorial for Cirillo as Ottawa police and traffic enforcement units accompanied the hearse carrying the innocent dead body on the first leg of the six and a half hour trip from the place where he died to his hometown in Hamilton, Ontario.
The whole town was shut down, as citizens from all across Canada stood on bridges watching.
As for Canada’s Prime Minister, he and his committee are working to keep citizens positive after stating, “We will not be intimidated.”