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OTTAWA — A hit-and-run car crash that killed one soldier and injured another this week was a terrorist attack, Canadian politicians and police and military commanders all suggested Tuesday, saying it resulted from another Canadian’s turn to radical Islam.
But little had emerged about why the man driving the car, Martin Rouleau-Couture, became radicalized last year or ran over the two soldiers at a strip mall in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, on Monday.
The attack, which ended with the police fatally shooting Mr. Rouleau, as he was known, came at a time when Prime Minister Stephen Harper, like most of his Western counterparts, has been vigorously denouncing the Islamic State movement and warning of possible domestic terrorist attacks. Mr. Harper’s government has indicated that it is about to introduce new antiterrorism legislation, a move that troubles some civil liberties lawyers.
But the death of Patrice Vincent, 53, a warrant officer, and the wounding of an unidentified soldier underscored the difficulty the police and intelligence agencies face when dealing with radicalized citizens.
Superintendent Martine Fontaine of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a televised news conference that a special antiterrorism force began monitoring Mr. Rouleau in June and arrested him a month later when he was about to fly to Turkey. Mr. Rouleau was released for lack of evidence that he intended to join a terrorist group. Meetings between the Mounted Police and Mr. Rouleau, 25, continued until Oct. 9.
“It’s very difficult to know exactly what an individual is planning to do before a crime is committed,” Superintendent Fontaine said. “We cannot arrest someone for thinking radical thoughts; it is not a crime in Canada.”
John Baird, the foreign affairs minister, voiced a similar stance. “You can’t stop him getting into a car,” Mr. Baird told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The police said Tuesday that Mr. Rouleau sat in his Nissan Altima sedan outside of a building housing several government and military offices for about two hours before he ran down the soldiers. But at several news conferences the police offered no details on what had set off the attack.
The owner of a small power-washing business, Mr. Rouleau lived at his parents’ home, separate from his former partner and their young child. His family reportedly became alarmed about a change in his personality last year, about the time he converted to Islam. His parents contacted the police, who were also in touch with an imam at the mosque where Mr. Rouleau began praying regularly.
Superintendent Fontaine said that her force was particularly concerned about Mr. Rouleau’s Facebook page, which has been shut down. Several of his postings there had extolled Islamic State violence and expressed anti-Semitic sentiments denigrating Christianity. Last week, Mr. Rouleau changed his profile photograph to an image of two open doors. Behind one was a blue sky with puffy clouds, presumably heaven, while the other revealed a fiery hell.
Mr. Baird was one of several members of Mr. Harper’s cabinet who linked Mr. Rouleau’s actions to the Islamic State. At a sendoff in Cold Lake, Alberta, for Canadian fighter jets heading to attack Islamic State targets in Iraq, Defense Minister Rob Nicholson said, “We are deeply concerned that these radical terrorists will threaten Canada here at home.”
Steven Blaney, the public safety minister, said Monday’s attack was “clearly linked to terrorist ideology.”
Mr. Blaney said last week that he was about to introduce legislation explicitly allowing Canadian intelligence agencies to circumvent laws that prevent them from spying on Canadians by allowing foreign agencies, including those of the United States, to do it for them. The bill would also let those agencies keep the identities of their sources secret, Mr. Blaney said. Many lawyers, however, argue that they need to cross-examine such witnesses in court.
But little had emerged about why the man driving the car, Martin Rouleau-Couture, became radicalized last year or ran over the two soldiers at a strip mall in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, on Monday.
The attack, which ended with the police fatally shooting Mr. Rouleau, as he was known, came at a time when Prime Minister Stephen Harper, like most of his Western counterparts, has been vigorously denouncing the Islamic State movement and warning of possible domestic terrorist attacks. Mr. Harper’s government has indicated that it is about to introduce new antiterrorism legislation, a move that troubles some civil liberties lawyers.
But the death of Patrice Vincent, 53, a warrant officer, and the wounding of an unidentified soldier underscored the difficulty the police and intelligence agencies face when dealing with radicalized citizens.
Superintendent Martine Fontaine of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a televised news conference that a special antiterrorism force began monitoring Mr. Rouleau in June and arrested him a month later when he was about to fly to Turkey. Mr. Rouleau was released for lack of evidence that he intended to join a terrorist group. Meetings between the Mounted Police and Mr. Rouleau, 25, continued until Oct. 9.
“It’s very difficult to know exactly what an individual is planning to do before a crime is committed,” Superintendent Fontaine said. “We cannot arrest someone for thinking radical thoughts; it is not a crime in Canada.”
John Baird, the foreign affairs minister, voiced a similar stance. “You can’t stop him getting into a car,” Mr. Baird told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The police said Tuesday that Mr. Rouleau sat in his Nissan Altima sedan outside of a building housing several government and military offices for about two hours before he ran down the soldiers. But at several news conferences the police offered no details on what had set off the attack.
The owner of a small power-washing business, Mr. Rouleau lived at his parents’ home, separate from his former partner and their young child. His family reportedly became alarmed about a change in his personality last year, about the time he converted to Islam. His parents contacted the police, who were also in touch with an imam at the mosque where Mr. Rouleau began praying regularly.
Superintendent Fontaine said that her force was particularly concerned about Mr. Rouleau’s Facebook page, which has been shut down. Several of his postings there had extolled Islamic State violence and expressed anti-Semitic sentiments denigrating Christianity. Last week, Mr. Rouleau changed his profile photograph to an image of two open doors. Behind one was a blue sky with puffy clouds, presumably heaven, while the other revealed a fiery hell.
Mr. Baird was one of several members of Mr. Harper’s cabinet who linked Mr. Rouleau’s actions to the Islamic State. At a sendoff in Cold Lake, Alberta, for Canadian fighter jets heading to attack Islamic State targets in Iraq, Defense Minister Rob Nicholson said, “We are deeply concerned that these radical terrorists will threaten Canada here at home.”
Steven Blaney, the public safety minister, said Monday’s attack was “clearly linked to terrorist ideology.”
Mr. Blaney said last week that he was about to introduce legislation explicitly allowing Canadian intelligence agencies to circumvent laws that prevent them from spying on Canadians by allowing foreign agencies, including those of the United States, to do it for them. The bill would also let those agencies keep the identities of their sources secret, Mr. Blaney said. Many lawyers, however, argue that they need to cross-examine such witnesses in court.
