Canadian terrorist’s video confession goes public

Mar 6, 2015 | News

In a cellphone video, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stated his motive for last year's Parliament Hill terrorist attack. (REUTERS)

In a cellphone video, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau stated his motive for last year’s Parliament Hill terrorist attack. (REUTERS)

by Jordan Finkelstein

Canadians finally got a bit of closure Friday on last year’s Parliament Hill terror attack.

The public got the chance to see the video Michael Zehaf-Bibeau recorded before he murdered a soldier at the National War Memorial.

The video, which was recorded on Zehaf-Bibeau’s cellphone, appears to show Zehaf-Bibeau explaining his motive behind the terrorist attack.

The RCMP released the evidence to the public at noon. RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson led the conference, in which the House of Commons public safety committee was shown the video for the first time.

“This is in retaliation for Afghanistan and because Harper wants to send his troops to Iraq,” Zehaf-Bibeau said during his confession in the video.

He added: ”Canada’s officially become one of our enemies by fighting us and bombing us, and creating a lot of terror in our countries and killing us and killing our innocents.”

Zehaf-Bibeau made the recording on Oct. 22, just before he murdered Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a reservist with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, who was on guard at the National War Memorial.

Zehaf-Bibeau, who was armed with an assault rifle then ran into the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. Kevin Vickers, Canadian Sergeant at Arms shot and killed Bibeau.

The shooting, now deemed a terrorist attack, is one of very few attacks to take place at the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa.In 1966, a bombing at Parliament left one suspect dead, after the device he was preparing exploded in the washroom of the building.

New anti-terror laws have been introduced by the Harper government and are now under debate.