Canadian Gunman Reportedly Recorded Video Before Rampage

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Canadian Gunman Reportedly Recorded Video Before Rampage
People attend a ceremony at the National War Memorial, where Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was killed two days ago, on October 24, 2014 in Ottawa, Canada. Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

TORONTO -- A gunman who shot and killed a soldier at Canada's national war memorial and then stormed Parliament before he was gunned down had prepared a video recording of himself that police say shows he was driven by ideological and political motives, police said Sunday.

There is "persuasive evidence that Michael Zehaf-Bibeau's attack was driven by ideological and political motives," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson in a statement.

A detailed analysis of the video was being conducted and Paulson said they cannot release the video at this time.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called Wednesday's shooting a terror attack, and the bloodshed raised fears that Canada is suffering reprisals for joining the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Police are investigating Zehaf-Bibeau's interactions with numerous individuals in the days leading up to the attack and whether they could have contributed or facilitated it.

Paulson said a knife carried by Zehaf-Bibeau was taken from his aunt's property in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, and they're looking into how he got the rifle. Paulson called it an old, uncommon gun that police suspect he could have also hidden on the property.

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The gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 32. Credit: AP Photo/Vancouver Police via The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

"The RCMP is confident we will have an authoritative and detailed account of the shooting, including a complete reconstruction of the heroic actions of those involved, in the weeks to come," said Paulson, who also said the Ontario Provincial Police will investigate the shooting inside Parliament.

Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, shot to death Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, who was assigned to the honor guard at the national war memorial. Zehaf-Bibeau was eventually gunned down inside Parliament by the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons, Kevin Vickers.

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A soldier in the Canadian Army stands guard at the National War Memorial during a ceremony at the memorial on October 24, 2014 in Ottawa, Canada Credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The attack in Ottawa came two days after a man described as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist" ran over two soldiers in a parking lot in Quebec, killing one and injuring the other before being shot to death by police. The man had been under surveillance by Canadian authorities, who feared he had jihadist ambitions and seized his passport when he tried to travel to Turkey.

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