FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

Online Jihadists Are Praising the Canadian Parliament Shooter

ISIS radical or not, the shooter in Ottawa is being celebrated by jihadists on the internet.
Security footage of of Zehaf-Bibeau as he rushes parliament, rifle in hand. Image: CBC News

The sounds of gunshots ringing out from gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau's rifle barely stopped echoing in Ottawa, and online jihadists are already celebrating the attack on Canada's Parliament as a justified response to the latest bombings of Islamic State targets in Iraq.

One Canadian ISIS militant who identifies himself as Muthanna al-Kanadi online, suspected to be Ahmed Waseem of Windsor, justified Zehaf-Bibeau's alleged attacks by citing the newest Canadian war in Iraq as reason alone to expect retaliation.

Advertisement

"What did Canada expect? they are a nation at war with Islam & is about to kill/bomb more Muslims," he said in a recent tweet. "What did you want in return Hugs and Kisses?"

Image: Twitter

The fighter, who appears to have been injured in recent engagements in Iraq fighting anti-ISIS forces, said the attack was evidence of a growing trend of domestic terrorism.

"I did say before that the Jihad of Yesterday was across the valley but the Jihad of Today is across your doorstep. #OttawaShooting#ISIS," he said. He even cited the cancellation of an NHL game as proof alone Canadians were rattled by the latest attacks, before comparing Canadian soldiers to cowering Iraqi soldiers.

The same fighter celebrated the work of Martin "Ahmad" Rouleau, a Quebecker and ISIS sympathizer who mowed down two soldiers south of Montreal in his car before allegedly drawing a knife on a policewoman and subsequently being shot dead.

An acquaintance of al-Kanadi, a well-known ex-Dutch soldier who once told me I was a disgrace to Canada for not celebrating our expat jihadists in Syria, also considered the attacks repercussions for Canadian aggression against the Islamic State.

"Bomb innocent people in Syria/Iraq and you expect roses and hugs from Muslims back home?" he tweeted, taking a less extreme tact than in the past having already been suspended by Twitter before. "Its called action/reaction. Go figure."

The irony is, those same sorts of online fighters were reportedly the source of inspiration for the attacker who made headlines the world over. One in particular, known as Abu Khalid al-Kanadi on Twitter (now suspended), was known for promoting attacks against Canadians and other westerners.

Advertisement

Apparently there was reportedly some amount of inspiration from Abu Khalid that influenced Zehaf-Bibeau's actions. Sources told Stewart Bell of the National Post that Zehaf-Bibeau was reading those tweets before the attacks. It's also important to note that new details emerging about the shooter, namely that he spent time in an Ottawa homeless shelter and had some degree of mental health issues, are emerging.

For now, while it's known Rouleau's sympathies for ISIS led to him being on a list with 93 other Canadians being monitored by the RCMP and CSIS as potential terror risks—interestingly, Zehaf-Bibeau wasn't on that list. The RCMP did say, however, that they had "uncorroborated information suggesting that he had associations with an individual who is known to us."

The fact he wasn't even on any terror list, frankly, illustrates intelligence fears surrounding potential "lone wolves." They're the attackers who gain their sympathies and interest in attacking public targets from online literature and social media recruitment tactics—a known avenue of ISIS operatives looking to gain westerners in their ranks.

One former CSIS agent I spoke with considered those lone wolves, sometimes activated through online channels, the shadowy threat spies currently fear most.

After all, as one Canadian fighter going by the alias Abu Usamah told me, "what's the benefit of using social media if I'm not using it to recruit?"

As in the case of Zehaf-Bibeau, there's also potential for things to come full circle: the social media fan can become the real idol.