2014 shootings at Parliament Hill

The 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill were a series of shootings that occurred on October 22, 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa . At the Canadian National War Memorial , Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty was fatally shot by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Zehaf-Bibeau then entered the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where members of the Parliament of Canada were attending caucuses . After wrestling with a constable at the entrance, Zehaf-Bibeau ran inside and had a shootout with parliament security personnel. He was shot 31 times by six officers and died on scene. Following the shootings, the downtown core of Ottawa was placed on lockdown and majority of schools in Ottawa were on lockdown while police searched for any potential additional threats. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigation into the shootings is ongoing. The attacker, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, was a 32-year-old Canadian habitual offender and drug addict from Montreal. He had been observed by acquaintances exhibiting erratic behaviour. At the time of the shooting, Zehaf-Bibeau planned to leave Canada for the Middle East and was living in a homeless shelter in Ottawa while waiting for the processing of his Canadian passport application. According to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson the "passport issue was central to what was driving" Zehaf-Bibeau. Zehaf-Bibeau made a video prior to the attack in which he expressed his desire to "kill some soldiers" and his motives as being related "to Canada's foreign policy and in respect of his religious beliefs." To acquaintances and co-workers, he had previously expressed support for jihadists and others in the Middle East resisting the West's intervention, but was not known to the police to be a terrorism risk. In his mother's opinion, the attack was the "last desperate act" of someone with a mental disorder who felt trapped. Some Canadian Muslim organizations condemned the attack. Classified by the RCMP as a terrorist act under the Criminal Code , it was the most serious security breach at Parliament Hill since the 1966 parliament bombing . It took place two days after a man used his car to run over two soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , Quebec , killing one. The two incidents, which attracted international attention, raised concerns about the effectiveness of police actions to prevent terrorist attacks, the prevention of radicalization and the security measures in place at federal and provincial legislatures. The Canadian government had already prepared a bill to expand the courtroom anonymity and surveillance powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada's intelligence agency, which was due to be introduced the day of the shootings, and was postponed by the event. The government introduced new anti-terrorism measures with the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015 . Security at Parliament Hill is to be stepped up. "Ottawa shooting by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was 'last desperate act' of a mentally ill person, his mother writes" . "Mounties now toting submachine guns for Hill security" . 4 June 2015.

Terrorist attacks in Ottawa, Canada The 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill were a series of shootings that occurred on October 22, 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa . At the National War Memorial , Corporal Nathan Cirillo , a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty, was fatally shot by Islamic terrorist Michael Zehaf-Bibeau . Described as mentally unwell, Zehaf-Bibeau then entered the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where members of the Parliament of Canada were attending caucuses . After wrestling with a constable at the entrance, Zehaf-Bibeau ran inside and had a shootout with RCMP officers. He was shot 31 times by six officers and died on scene. Following the shootings, the downtown core of Ottawa was placed on lockdown and majority of schools in Ottawa were on lockdown while police searched for any potential additional threats. The attacker, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, was a 32-year-old Canadian habitual offender and addiction patient from Montreal. He had been observed by acquaintances exhibiting erratic behaviour. At the time of the shooting, Zehaf-Bibeau planned to leave Canada for the Middle East and was living in a homeless shelter in Ottawa while waiting for the processing of his Canadian passport application. According to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson the "passport issue was central to what was driving" Zehaf-Bibeau. Zehaf-Bibeau made a video prior to the attack in which he expressed his desire to "kill some soldiers" and his motives as being related "to Canada's foreign policy and in respect of his religious beliefs." To acquaintances and co-workers, he had previously expressed support for jihadists and others in the Middle East resisting the West's intervention, but was not known to the police to be a terrorism risk. In his mother's opinion, the attack was the "last desperate act" of someone with a mental disorder who felt trapped. Canadian Muslim organizations condemned the attack. Classified by the RCMP as a terrorist act under the Criminal Code , it was the most serious security breach at Parliament Hill since the 1966 parliament bombing . It took place two days after a man used his car to run over two soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , Quebec , killing one. The two incidents, which attracted international attention, raised concerns about the effectiveness of police actions to prevent terrorist attacks, the prevention of radicalization and the security measures in place at federal and provincial legislatures. The Canadian government had already prepared a bill to expand the courtroom anonymity and surveillance powers of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada's intelligence agency, which was due to be introduced the day of the shootings, and was postponed by the event. The government introduced new anti-terrorism measures with the Anti-terrorism Act, 2015 , and creating the Parliamentary Protective Service to guard the parliament grounds. Security at Parliament Hill is to be stepped up. "Ottawa shooting by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was 'last desperate act' of a mentally ill person, his mother writes" . "Mounties now toting submachine guns for Hill security" . 4 June 2015.

Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty, was fatally shot at the National War Memorial , followed by an attack on the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where members of the Parliament of Canada were attending caucuses . The attack ended with a shootout when the perpetrator, 32-year old Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, ran inside the parliament buildings and was shot 31 times by six RCMP officers and died on scene. Following the shootings, the downtown core of Ottawa was placed on lockdown and majority of schools in Ottawa were on lockdown while police searched for any potential additional threats. Classified by the RCMP as a terrorist act , it was the most serious security breach at Parliament Hill since the 1966 parliament bombing . The attack gained international attention and raised concerns about the effectiveness of police actions to prevent terrorist attacks, and the security measures in place at federal and provincial legislatures.