Canadian terrorist was trying to get to Syria

Wall Street Journal:

Canada’s federal government said it would introduce legislation in coming day giving the country’s police and intelligence services greater powers to counter potential terrorist threats.

The planned move took on special significance as lawmakers and public servants here tried to resume their daily routine a day after Ottawa was rocked by Wednesday’s shooting, which forced the capital into lockdown for hours.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Parliament on Thursday that laws and police powers had to be bolstered in the areas of surveillance, detention and arrest.

“I assure members that work which is already under way will be expedited,” he said.

Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau attended Collège Laval, a private Montreal-area high school, in the late 1990s, according to a person familiar with the matter. He was charged in December 2011 in Vancouver with one count of robbery and uttering threats, according to court documents. He later pleaded guilty, spent a day in jail and paid fine of 100 Canadian dollars (US$88.90).

Officials didn’t offer a motive for the crime, which Mr. Harper called a terrorist act in a televised address late Wednesday.

In a message emailed to the Associated Press, Susan Bibeau and Bulgasem Zehaf, who identified themselves as the gunman’s parents, apologized “for all the pain, fright and chaos” Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau caused. Ms. Bibeau said she saw her son last week for the first time in five years, “so I have very little insight to offer.” The parents expressed their condolences to Cpl. Cirillo’s family.
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Parliamentary documents indicated that one of the first pieces of legislation the government would consider in coming days would provide extra powers in particular to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the country’s main spy agency. The additional authority would make it easier for security officials to monitor individuals suspected of being radicalized. The proposed legislation would also help officials prevent such persons from returning to Canada from conflict regions and combat any threat posed by Islamic State militants.
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The US needs similar legislation to stop the return of jihadis.  The left has been trying to avoid the obvious ties to Islam.