Muslim convert, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau is Ottawa gunman who killed Nathan Cirillo
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was born in Quebec as Michael Joseph Hall north of Montreal, two US officials told Reuters, claiming that American law enforcement agencies have been advised that the attacker recently converted to Islam.
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau linked to ISIS? photo/Islamic State flag
AP sources also identified the man to be Zehaf-Bibeau. A Twitter account associated with Islamic State militants tweeted a photo they identified as the Ottawa shooter. The Globe and Mail reports that the shooter was designated a “high-risk traveler” by the Canadian authorities with his passport seized.
CNN notes that the “man who seemed to have had a religious awakening and talked about going to the Middle East — but had his passport revoked” discussing the “man who shot a soldier in the back as he stood guard at the Canada War Memorial, and who then tried to wreak havoc inside the parliament building before he was gunned down.”
The soldier killed has been identified as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, a military reservist from Hamilton in Ontario, Canada.
“In the days to come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had, but this week’s events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere in the world,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
Court documents obtained by CNN partner network CBC reveal Zehaf-Bibeau was charged with drug possession in Quebec in 2004. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
In 2011, he was charged with robbery and uttering threats in Vancouver, CBC reported. He was found guilty of only the second charge and sentenced to a day in jail.
Zehaf-Bibeau was asked to stop attending prayers at the mosque he attended because elders found his behavior “erratic,” a friend told the Globe and Mail.
The friend, Dave Bathurst, said Zehaf-Bibeau once told him the “devil is after him,” and frequently talked about supernatural spirits.
“I think he must have been mentally ill,” Bathurst told the paper.
Cpl Nathan Cirillo photo/Facebook
