OTTAWA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Canada is not immune to terror attacks but not intimidated by terrorism, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday after a gunmen attacked the parliament and killed a soldier earlier in the day.
"Canada will never be intimidated" by the terrorist attack, said Harper in a televised national address, describing the unprecedented violent act in Ottawa as "a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world."
Harper pledged strengthened resolve and redoubled efforts to fight terrorism and vowed to "take all necessary steps to identify and counter threats and keep Canada safe here at home."
The assault on Parliament Hill occurred just one day after Canada dispatched six of its CF-18 fighter jets to Kuwait as part of the U.S.-led international combat mission against Islamic State extremists in Iraq, generating concerns about bringing global fight against IS outside the area.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Harper and later told reporters in Washington, D.C. that the attack in Ottawa "emphasizes the degree to which we have to remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with these kinds of senseless acts of violence, or terrorism."
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa also issued a statement, offering to "provide assistance if needed."
Last week, Canadian security authority announced the country's domestic terrorism alert was heightened from "unlikely" to "could occur" for the first time since 2010.
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