A soldier from Canada has been killed after a road accident suspected to have been caused by an Islamic militant. He was one of two soldiers involved in the attack which is the first of its kind in Canada since it joined the fight against IS.
The identity of the soldier who died on Tuesday has not yet been released, a police spokesman told Reuters. The 25-year-old driver, however, was identified by Canadian media as Martin Couture-Rouleau who was a Quebec resident.
The anonymous soldier had been walking near a Quebec shopping
center when he was mowed down in an attack, following a car
chase, which police officials say was deliberate. The incident
took place in the town of Saint-Jean-sue-Richelieu on Monday.
Rouleau was shot dead by police shortly after the attack.
His Facebook page, under the name Ahmad Rouleau, displays some
anti-Christian and pro-Islamic posts.
Unnamed sources told local La Presse and Journal de Montreal, that Rouleau’s passport had been confiscated earlier in the year, while a neighbor, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said he became radicalized approximately a year ago.
He was apparently known to authorities, according to Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's office. Harper told reporters on
Tuesday that the attack had been “clearly linked to terrorist
ideology”.
Canada has frequently expressed concern over the potential for
young men to become radicalized and has already committed itself
to sending six fighter jets to participate in the anti-IS
campaign in Iraq. It made the commitment on October 7.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) stated on
Monday that there was concern over how the IS social media
campaign contributed to radicalization.
Jeff Yaworski, deputy director of operations at the spy agency
said on Monday that the IS “message and successful social
media strategy could inspire radicalized individuals to undertake
attacks here in Canada.”
He added that there are some 50 people who are actively involved
with IS in Canada. However, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) has been monitoring roughly 90 individuals who have been
intending to go abroad.