Soldier shot at National War Memorial in Ottawa

[Grey Fox]

You know you are in Canada when the follow up conversation after stating the latest news in the ottawa shooting is to ask : Is the NHL game in Ottawa tonight still on?

[Admiral Yi]

Are there many terrorists that are not radicalized?

Guns for hire.

[KRonn]

This is all over the news here, constant coverage. Hard to get real details as yet since things are still ongoing, obvioiusly. The news station did have one or two MPs speaking who were in the building and had to be evacuated. Wednesdays are the days when Parliament has some kind of formal meetings? So I'm assuming this was timed for today for that reason.

I also heard that a few years ago that a large group of terrorists were caught before they could make an attack on Ottawa. So this kind of thing has some background to it. Also that Ottawa isn't as fortified as Washington or London, making it an easier target for the crazies.

[crazy canuck]

Wednesdays are the days when Parliament has some kind of formal meetings? So I'm assuming this was timed for today for that reason.

Its caucus day.  This is the day when Parliament begins its proceedings in the afternoon to allow time for the parties to hold their internal caucus meetings in the morning.  Its actually the worst time for the attacker(s) because nobody would have been walking around Parliament at that time - everyone of any significance was in meetings.   I think we can thank the poor timing of this attack for the fact that no one in the Parliament buildings was shot.

On a normal day Parliamentary proceedings would have started in the morning and there would have been a large number of potential targets walking about.

[mongers]

Wednesdays are the days when Parliament has some kind of formal meetings? So I'm assuming this was timed for today for that reason.

Its caucus day.  This is the day when Parliament begins its proceedings in the afternoon to allow time for the parties to hold their internal caucus meetings in the morning.  Its actually the worst time for the attacker(s) because nobody would have been walking around Parliament at that time - everyone of any significance was in meetings.   I think we can thank the poor timing of this attack for the fact that no one in the Parliament buildings was shot.

On a normal day Parliamentary proceedings would have started in the morning and there would have been a large number of potential targets walking about.

Which again points to below intelligence attackers, no doubt vulnerable/isolated individuals latching onto or being indoctrinated by skilled preachers/activists. And ending up doing something stupid, in a stupid way, for a stupid cause and ending with a stupid waste of life.

[Maximus]

This is pure speculation, but I heard there was some intelligence about this and maybe even arrests. In which case this could have been a desperate move to get some shots in before they all got rounded up.

[Razgovory]

I'm impressed that grallon can tell he's a muslim from the description we have so far: "man running with double-barrelled shotgun, wearing a scarf and blue jeans."

He knew Muslims were involved in the Norway bombing and massacre as well.

[KRonn]

Wednesdays are the days when Parliament has some kind of formal meetings? So I'm assuming this was timed for today for that reason.

Its caucus day.  This is the day when Parliament begins its proceedings in the afternoon to allow time for the parties to hold their internal caucus meetings in the morning.  Its actually the worst time for the attacker(s) because nobody would have been walking around Parliament at that time - everyone of any significance was in meetings.   I think we can thank the poor timing of this attack for the fact that no one in the Parliament buildings was shot.

On a normal day Parliamentary proceedings would have started in the morning and there would have been a large number of potential targets walking about.

Good that the shooter at Parliament was stopped before he could do any damage there, and that apparently there weren't many people for him to get to at the time before he was shot by security. I guess he's the one who did shoot the soldier at the memorial though.

[viper37]

As expected, homegrown.

Law enforcement and U.S. government sources tell CBS News the dead shooting suspect is Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, born 1982, and he is believed to be Canadian-born.

EDIT: from Montreal. <sigh>

[sbr]

Are there many terrorists that are not radicalized?

Guns for hire.

I don't want to chase this too far, as I have no interest in nit-picky semantics debates, but to me one of the main things about a terrorist is a political motive.  I suppose a terrorist organization could hire some no-believing mercenaries but that would be a strange approach and I can't think of an example of that happening.

My original point, was that "radicalized terrorist" as used above seemed very redundant but I Googled 'radicalized' while writing this and the first two pages are all about the radicalized Canadians that carried out these attacks, so I suppose Canuck was just using terms that had become commonplace.

[Malthus]

Are there many terrorists that are not radicalized?

Guns for hire.

I don't want to chase this too far, as I have no interest in nit-picky semantics debates, but to me one of the main things about a terrorist is a political motive.  I suppose a terrorist organization could hire some no-believing mercenaries but that would be a strange approach and I can't think of an example of that happening.

Carlos "The Jackal" apparently received a lot of personal cash for taking OPEC hostages; Abu Nidal was often described as, essentially, a mercenary terrorist.

[crazy canuck]

My original point, was that "radicalized terrorist" as used above seemed very redundant but I Googled 'radicalized' while writing this and the first two pages are all about the radicalized Canadians that carried out these attacks, so I suppose Canuck was just using terms that had become commonplace.

The reason these people are referred to as "radicalized" is because they were otherwise normal citizens who took a significant turn in their world view.  The person from Quebec, for example, is a good example of a person who became radicalized.

But not all people who are radicalized are terrorists and not all terrorists are radicalized. For example a person may always hold a paricular world view and turn to terrorism to achieve their ends.

[Malthus]

As expected, homegrown.

Law enforcement and U.S. government sources tell CBS News the dead shooting suspect is Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, born 1982, and he is believed to be Canadian-born.

EDIT: from Montreal. <sigh>

The message is obvious: we cannot trust people from Quebec.

[11B4V]

So, much for Canadian gun control.

[Sheilbh]

I came in to remark on this - rumour has it that the sergeant-at-arms for the House of Commons personally shot an assailant - pretty sure that's a first.

Wow. Did Black Rod personally arrest him too?

Which again points to below intelligence attackers, no doubt vulnerable/isolated individuals latching onto or being indoctrinated by skilled preachers/activists. And ending up doing something stupid, in a stupid way, for a stupid cause and ending with a stupid waste of life.

Yep. There's a reason they're buying Islam for Dummies before getting on a plane to Syria. I always think there's a lot to the view in Four Lions. Contra Grallon it's the guys in beards and shalwar kameezes that you shouldn't worry about.