Montreal, Canada – A man who ran down two Canadian soldiers in his car at a Quebec mall on Monday and was later shot dead by police, “had become radicalized,” the Canadian government said.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The Canadian government did not specify what it meant by radicalized but in the past has used the term to refer to Canadians who become supporters of militant Islamic groups.
Quebec police shot and killed the 25-year-old driver after a police chase following the incident. One of the two soldiers he ran over had life-threatening injuries. Police did not say whether the soldiers were in uniform.
“The individual who struck the two (Canadian Armed Forces) members with his car is known to federal authorities, including the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team,” said a statement from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office.
“Federal authorities have confirmed that there are clear indications that the individual had become radicalized.”
The incident took place in the town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, around 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Montreal.
After the collision the driver sped off and was chased by police. He soon lost control of the car, which landed in a ditch, and was shot after confronting officers.
Earlier in the day, Randy Hoback, a member of Parliament for the ruling Conservative Party, referred in the House of Commons to unconfirmed reports of “a possible terror attack against two members of the Canadian armed forces.”
At the time, Harper said the reports were “extremely troubling” but declined to give more details.
A spokesman for the Surete du Quebec, the provincial police, pressed as to whether the victims had been specially targeted, said that was one of several possible hypotheses but stressed it would take the police days to work out what had happened.
Canada is sending six fighter jets to take part in the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq.
The two injured soldiers were not students at a military college which is located in the town, said a spokesman for the college.
must have been some extreme white supremacist, which explains why theyre not giving out the attackers name and details etc..!
Whenever theres no name in an attack it’s a not a ‘chazoko’, rather a ‘bori’ that it’s a muslim.
Bob Grant quote: “I dont have to tell you what religion I’m taking about, It’s the 1 that starts with an I and ends with a slam…”