US Responds to Terror Attacks in Canada

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel offered his condolences and continued support to the Canadian Armed Forces following a shooting Wednesday in Ottawa that left both a Canadian soldier and his attacker dead and a hit-and-run attack on another Canadian soldier in Quebec Monday—both deemed acts of terrorism. “The United States has no closer friend and ally than Canada, and the United States military has no closer partner than the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Hagel in an Oct. 22 statement. “The Department of Defense, including through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, will continue to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to assist our Canadian allies in the aftermath of these tragic events.” President Barack Obama joined Hagel in expressing the United States’ condolences for the situation. “We don’t yet have all the information about what motivated the shooting. We don’t yet have all the information about whether this was part of a broader network or plan, or whether this was an individual or series of individuals who decided to take these actions,” Obama said. “But, it emphasizes the degree to which we have to remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with these kinds of acts of senseless violence or terrorism.”