OTTAWA
— At least two gunmen traumatized the heart of the Canadian government
on Wednesday, with one shooting a soldier guarding the National War
Memorial and then entering the adjacent Parliament building, where
multiple rounds were fired. Shooting also was reported at a nearby
shopping mall.
Police
officers rushed to secure the Parliament building and move occupants to
safety as they hunted for what Canadian news reports said were possibly
two or three assailants, in what had the appearance of a coordinated
attack.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that one assailant was killed. The condition of the soldier who was shot was not immediately clear.
The
shootings began about 10 a.m., just as the leaders of Parliament were
holding their weekly meetings, suggesting the possibility of deliberate
timing. Many of the lawmakers were rushed into secure rooms in the
basement by guards.
Prime
Minister Stephen Harper had been inside Parliament at the time of the
shooting but was evacuated safely, Canadian news reports said. The
entire area, known as Parliament Hill, was placed on lockdown as police
reinforcements arrived.
The Ottawa Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned the public in a Twitter post to “stay away from the downtown Ottawa area.”
Witnesses
reported seeing the gunman who shot the soldier running into the House
of Commons, firing dozens of rounds. The assailant’s identity and motive
were not clear.
It
also was unclear whether any other people were hurt, but a Ottawa City
bus converted to a medical treatment unit was seen moving to the area.
Journalists
covering Parliament were ordered by police officers at gunpoint to lie
on the floor in the foyer in front of the House of Commons, The Globe and Mail reported on its website. The Globe and Mail’s correspondent, Josh Wingrove, said in a series of Twitter posts that the hallways were filled with the smell of gunpowder.
At
least 10 Royal Canadian Mounted Police squad cars converged on
Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, as heavily armed officers wearing
bulletproof vests went into the complex.
The shootings in the heart of the normally placid Canadian capital came two days after a hit-and-run crash in a small Quebec city that killed one Canadian soldier and injured another. The authorities considered it an act of terrorism.
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