Canada: attack had links to 'terrorist ideology'

The suspect in a fatal attack on Canadian military personnel this week was "clearly linked to terrorist ideology," Canada's federal public safety minister, Steven Blaney, told reporters on Tuesday.

Martin Couture Rouleau, a 25-year-old resident of Quebec, ran over two military personnel outside of Montreal on Monday. He was shot dead by police shortly thereafter following a high-speed car chase.

One of the victims died of his wounds the following day, according to police.

According to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office, the suspect - a convert to Islam - had come to the attention of the federal authorities this year. The premier's office also said that he had shown signs of becoming radicalized.

However, officials have not elaborated on what Rouleau had done to indicate he supported militant Islam.

"I can assure you we take the terrorist threat seriously. This tragedy reminds us painfully that this threat is very real," Blaney said.

Undetermined if 'IS' link

Canada, like many countries across the globe, fears the threat of terrorist attacks, particularly with the rise of converts to an extreme form of Islam, which condones the use of violence against all who oppose it.

"Islamic State" (IS) militants are the latest jihadist group to emerge from the Middle East and attract supporters globally with a prominent online presence.

After IS fighters launched an assault on northern Iraq this summer, with the aim of expanding their "caliphate" from Syria, the US began carrying out airstrikes against them. Western and Middle Eastern militaries are contributing to the operation, with Canada agreeing earlier this month to also participate.

In response, IS has called on its supporters across the globe to kill citizens of the states conducting airstrikes by any means possible.

kms/mg (AP, Reuters, dpa)