Canada's parliament attacked

Submitted by ub on

Security measures in Canada's capital have come under criticism after a gunman was able to run through an unlocked front door of the main building and get close to Prime Minister Stephen Harper before he was shot down following a gun battle.

One soldier was shot dead and another seriously injured after a suspected extremist attack in Quebec, just outside Montreal. The man drove over two service personnel, before he was shot dead by the police.

The gunman was shot dead, and Harper was safely removed. The killing of the Canadian soldier was the second this week with a possible link to Islamic militants.

Witness accounts indicated that the man who killed a soldier guarding the National War Memorial in central Ottawa, went on to attack the parliament building minutes later. Canadian police said they could not confirm it was the same person.

Photo: Reuters