Canada Must Understand Terrorist Is Terrorist Anywhere: Law Professor

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Ottawa should review its foreign policy and realize that a terrorist is a terrorist wherever he is, University of Ottawa International Law Professor Jabeur Fathally said.

WASHINGTON, October 24 (RIA Novosti) — Ottawa should review its foreign policy and realize that a terrorist is a terrorist wherever he is, University of Ottawa International Law Professor Jabeur Fathally said.

"Canada must review many aspects of its foreign policy, and must understand that a terrorist is a terrorist wherever he is, in Boston, in Ottawa, or in Damascus in Syria. We should understand that calling the terrorist in Syria as freedom fighters won't help our safety in Canada. I think that this act has nothing to do with decision of Canada to go to Iraq, as other attack occurred in Canada before this decision," Fathally told RIA Novosti Thursday.

On Wednesday morning, a soldier was shot and killed by a gunman while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The shooter then proceeded to Parliament Hill's Center Block, where he was killed in a shootout with a policeman.

Local media reported that gunshots were also fired Wednesday in the Canadian Parliament building and a mall in downtown Ottawa. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the public following the incident saying that Canada lacks immunity from terror attacks.

Fathally underlined that the Ottawa shooting raises a lot of important questions.

"How this terrorist could easily enter into the parliament building with his double barrel gun? Is the suspect among the persons who are under the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] Watch list? If so, how they can allow him to circulate so close to the governmental institutions?" Fathally stressed.

Fathally also emphasized that besides telling the Canadians the truth about what happened Wednesday, the government should increase security around the government buildings, ask help from Muslim communities and avoid stigmatizing Canadian Muslims.

"It should be putting diplomatic and political pressure on courtiers supporting the Islamic State and other groups, and gather information not only with Americans and Europeans but with Russian and Iranians," he concluded.

Sergei Ivanov, head of the Kremlin staff, said Thursday that the recent Ottawa shooting could serve as a proof that terrorism could not be fought with "double standard policies."

"During the war in Chechnya we openly stressed that terrorism and extremism is not only the problem of Russia. Ten years have passed since then, and what is happening today with extremism, including yesterday's events in Ottawa, in my opinion, is a clear proof of that," Ivanov told reporters.

"Terrorism could be fought effectively only in joint effort and without double standards," Ivanov said.

The Wednesday incident came just two days after two members of the Canadian Armed Forces were attacked in the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec. One of the soldiers died after the hit-and-run, while the other sustained less severe injuries.

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