1 week Ago By Christina Spencer, Ottawa Citizen
Share this Story : Gurski: Parliament Hill attack — 10 years later, jihadi terrorism still threatens us Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Opinion Columnists Gurski: Parliament Hill attack — 10 years later, jihadi terrorism still threatens us As we commemorate the life of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, gunned down on Oct. 22, 2014 at the National War Memorial, let us not be lulled into a false sense of security about our present situation.
Author of the article: Phil Gurski Published Oct 22, 2024 • Last updated 7 minutes ago • 4 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. Sentries returned to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct.
24, 2014. Canadian soldier Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was shot and killed there on Oct.
22, 2014. Photo by Errol McGihon / POSTMEDIA Article content Most people are familiar with the “I remember where I was when ..
. ” statement. We can recall our exact location and what we were doing when something really significant took place.
For my older brother, it was John F. Kennedy’s assassination: I used to leaf through a scrapbook he kept of newspaper clips following the November 1963 killing. For me, it is 9/11.
I had been at Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for nine months, having moved over from the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) when the planes hit those buildings. I watched it live on TV and the next few weeks were a blur as I and my colleagues tried to determine what exactly this meant. We also had to determine whether any of the hijackers came from Canada.
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Activate your Online Access Now Article content A close second in these kinds of heart-stopping memories would be the murder of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial by a jihadi on Oct. 22, 2014.
That attack hit hard; Islamist terrorism was my specialty at CSIS as a senior strategic analyst, a subject I had tried very hard to master since the 2001 catastrophes in New York and Washington. On that Wednesday morning, I was at Toronto Police headquarters delivering a presentation on jihadism, to be followed by a similar one to the OPP in Coburg, an hour east of the GTA. As news of the shooting of Cirillo began to filter in, I felt a sense of panic.
Who was the shooter? Was he on our “radar”? Did he have accomplices? What was his motivation (other than the fact that he was a jihadi)? The next day, back in Ottawa, I walked past the War Memorial and was astonished at the tributes laid there for the fallen soldier. Flowers, cards, teddy bears ..
. the scene was an outpouring of grief by average Canadians angry that this young man, the father of a little boy, had been killed in cold blood by a cowardly terrorist (himself gunned down as he tried to breach the Centre Block of Parliament). I took a moment to pay my respects to Nathan Cirillo.
Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content That attack took place 10 years ago. Where are we now? Is the hatred and violence that underscores jihadism still a threat to our national security and public safety? Or have other menaces taken its place? Other dangers more noticeable too The answer to both questions is a clear yes.
We have seen other attacks by jihadis in Canada since 2014 (in Edmonton, Markham, Strathroy and Scarborough) as well as a number of close calls (the recent arrests of ISIL wannabes in Toronto and Ormstown, Que., in which plans were made for mass casualty attacks in Toronto and New York respectively). They are stark proof that this particular form of terrorism has not gone away.
In some ways, it has gotten worse. The Global Terrorism Index , which measures violent extremism around the world, noted an increase in attacks and deaths last year, the vast majority caused by those affiliated or inspired by groups such as ISIL and Al-Qaida. This threat is nowhere near over.
At the same time, other dangers have become more noticeable: foreign espionage, foreign interference, cyber attacks — the list is a long one. All of them need the attention of our security intelligence and law enforcement agencies and require more resources to thwart, in an era where budgetary strictures deny many of those additional resources. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content When it comes to terrorism, we have been told that right-wing extremism, in its various forms (white nationalists, neo-Nazis, fascists, etc.), has eclipsed the menace of jihadism. There is no question that the far right is of greater concern today than it was in 2014.
However, the numbers do not support the theory that it is more dangerous than jihadi extremism. In fact, we have seen a worrisome spike in Islamist terrorist attacks around the world, some of which are driven by the war in Gaza, but many more by jihadi groups’ desire to remind us that they are still here and want very much to kill us. Just ask the Germans, Dutch, French, Austrians, Brits and Irish, all of whom have suffered, or foiled, mass casualty attacks over the past year.
We are not seeing anything analogous on the far right side. That may change, but it may not. As we rightfully commemorate the life of Nathan Cirillo, let us not be lulled into a false sense of security in Canada.
Jihadi terrorism is dominant now, even here, and will most likely remain so for years — perhaps decades — to come. RIP, Corporal. Phil Gurski, a former senior strategic analyst at CSIS, is president/CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting.
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