Soldier, Gunman Dead In Shooting Attack At Canada's Parliament
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- A gunman with a scarf over his face shot to death a Canadian soldier standing guard at the nation's war memorial Wednesday, then stormed Parliament in a hail of gunfire before he was killed by the usually ceremonial sergeant-at-arms, authorities and witnesses said.
The attack immediately raised the specter of terrorism, with Canada already on alert because of a deadly hit-and-run earlier in the week against two Canadian soldiers by a man who police say was fired up with radical Muslim fervor.
Police said in the initial hours after the shootings that as many as two other gunmen may have taken part. But as the day wore on, the cordon around Parliament was eased, employees were allowed to go home, and the sense of urgency appeared to wane.
"Today is a sad and tragic day for our city and our country," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said. He said it was a tragedy with "origins as yet not fully known, causes not yet fully understood."
Witnesses said the soldier posted at the National War Memorial was gunned down at point-blank range just before 10 a.m. by a man carrying a rifle and dressed all in black, his face half-covered. They said the gunman appeared to raise his arms in triumph, then ran off and entered Parliament, a few hundred yards away, where dozens of shots soon rang out.
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