Gunfire Erupts in Canadian Parliament After Soldier Fatally Shot
Last updated on: October 22, 2014 4:47 PM
Dozens of gunshots rang out in Canada's parliament buildings in Ottawa after a gunman shot and killed a soldier guarding the nearby National War Memorial.
Police say one gunman was shot and killed inside the main parliament building. But police at mid-afternoon Wednesday said two or three gunmen were believed to be involved in the rampage and were searching for the other suspect or two.
One official with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police called it a "dynamic, unfolding situation" in the downtown area of Canada's capital.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to express the American solidarity with Canadians in the wake of the attacks on Canadian Forces.
Obama condemned the attacks, and offered any U.S. assistance Canada needed in responding to the situation.
Canada raised its terrorism threat level from low to medium this week because of "general chatter" from such radical groups as the Islamic State and al-Qaida, although no specific threat was known. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said the origins and causes of Wednesday's attack are "not yet fully known."
City of Ottawa, Parliament and National War Memorial
The attacks come two days after an Islamic convert in a car ran down two Canadian soldiers, killing one, near Montreal.
Heavily armed Canadian police backed by armored vehicles surrounded the parliament buildings and locked them down as they searched for the suspects. Ottawa police said shots also were fired at a nearby shopping mall.
Witnesses said some people inside the parliament buildings as the mid-morning shootings erupted without warning fled by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations. Others tweeted that they had locked themselves inside offices while awaiting help from security officials.
Harper is 'safe'
A spokesman for Harper had said he left the area of the shootings and was "safe."
Cabinet minister Jason Kenney announced the death of the soldier at the war memorial. He said Canada "will not be terrorized or intimidated" by the shooting rampage.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. officials have offered assistance to their Canadian counterparts as more information becomes available about the assaults.
Ongoing situation
The U.S. embassy in Ottawa was locked down as a precaution. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it heightened its alert posture, adding to the number of U.S. and Canadian military aircraft on higher alert if they were needed.
There was no word yet on the identity of any suspect or suspects or of any motive for the shooting.
Harper was to make a statement later Wednesday.
Witnesses recount events
Witnesses said some people inside the parliament buildings as the mid-morning shootings erupted without warning fled by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations.
Others tweeted that they had locked themselves inside offices while awaiting help from security officials.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Canada, which has stricter gun laws than the United States.
Authorities had raised the threat level in the country from low to medium, local media reported.
Some material for this report came from Reuters, AP and AFP. voa
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