Zehaf-Bibeau was not part of RCMP investigation into high-risk travellers

OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – The commissioner of the RCMP says Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the alleged gunman who was killed Wednesday after a shooting at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill, was not on the RCMP’s watch list of potential high-risk travellers.

“Foremost, I would like to extend condolences on behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to the friends and family of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo,” Bob Paulson said.

“Our sympathies are with our friends in the Canadian Forces, who have tragically lost another member of their family this week to senseless violence.”

Paulson said witnesses saw a man, around 9:50 a.m., coming from behind the National War Memorial and firing twice at reservist Cirillo, who didn’t see him coming.

The man also fired a shot at the second guard, but missed him.

Video after the shooting shows the man abandoning a beige car on Wellington Street, in front of the Hill. The car had been bought on Tuesday.

He ran up the drive, hijacking a cabinet minister’s car and driving it a few dozen metres to the front door of Parliament.

The footage shows Mounties close on the gunman’s heels as he rushed up the stairs and into the building. He was met with gunfire from Commons security and RCMP officers after he ran into the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, brandishing a 30-30, lever-action Winchester rifle.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Paulson said Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, was a Canadian, and he may have had dual Libyan-Canadian citizenship. He was born in Montreal and had lived in Calgary and, most recently, Vancouver.

Police learned Zehaf-Bibeau had been in Ottawa since at least Oct. 2 to deal with a passport issue and had been hoping to leave for Syria. By some accounts he may have held “extremist beliefs.”

Paulson said the RCMP was asked to conduct background checks and didn’t come across any information about crimes related to national security.

His records showed drug, violence and other criminal activities. He was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Paulson said the passport “figured prominently” in his motives for Wednesday’s shooting.

“This is an unsettling event for all of us,” Paulson said. “Though we are calling on everyone to remain vigilant, I want to stress that you are safe. Your families are safe.

“It is disheartening and frightening to anyone – police included– when a senseless act of violence takes place in Canada.”

Police said there’s no evidence of a link between Zehaf-Bibeau and Martin Couture-Rouleau, who ran down two Canadian soldiers in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., on Monday.

Events in Ottawa bring up painful memories for Calgary mom

While it’s not clear why Zehaf-Bibeau wanted to go to Syria, he could have been the latest Canadian to be recruited by a radical group.

A Calgary mother sees some parallels between the son she lost in Syria earlier this year and the gunman in Ottawa.

Damian Clairmont was 22 when he died fighting as a jihadist in Syria. He converted to Islam as a teenager, then headed to Syria two years ago.

“There’s one key thing he said. He felt rejected,” says his mom, Chris Boudreau. “He struggled to feel he fit in anywhere with his peers. He struggled with that continuously.”

She says she feels awful for Zehaf-Bibeau’s parents.

“And you always wonder, as a parent, what did I do wrong? How could I have done things differently? You wish so much you could take the pain away from the victims.”

Since losing her son, Boudreau has been on a crusade, letting parents and loved ones know that so-called normal young people in Canada can be influenced and recruited by radical groups.

Zehaf-Bibeau had recently been looking into heading to Syria. Police insist if he were headed to Syria for a criminal purpose, he would have been flagged. His erratic behavior at a Burnaby mosque about a month ago led to elders asking him not to return.

Paulson outlines the following timeline of events:

• Witnesses interviewed by Ottawa Police Services reported seeing the shooter, at around 9:50 coming from behind the War Memorial on the West side where he fires twice at Reservist Nathan Cirillo.
• The shooter is positioned on an angle behind the victim where they cannot see him coming (as they are facing south). The shooter fires one shot at the second guard, but he missed him. Witnesses heard the suspect yelling something in English and then running towards the north.
• The investigation revealed that he used the beige vehicle and headed to Wellington.
• The first calls received via 911 were around 09:52:36
• From the National War Memorial the suspect drove North on Wellington Street and parked his vehicle at 9:52:23 in front of the Elgin entrance.
• He accessed the grounds of Parliament Hill at 9:52:31 on foot and started running toward East Block where MP vehicles were parked.
• At 9:53:16, video footage shows the suspect overtook one of these vehicles and drove toward Center Block.
• At 9:53:37, he immobilized the vehicle on the left side of the Peace Tower and started running toward the main doors of Center Block.  At that time, RCMP vehicles on site chased the suspect to the entrance of Center Block.
• The suspect entered Center Block at 9:53:46, seconds before the RCMP officers that were chasing him were able to reach the doors.
• It took approximately 1 minute and 23 seconds between the time the suspect parked the beige car and entered Center Block
• Once inside Centre Block, the suspect engaged in a fire exchange with the House of Commons Security and RCMP officers. The exact details of this exchange are still under investigation. We need to recognize the courage of all officers involved in this fluid and dangerous situation.
• The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.