WATCH: The Burnaby mosque that the Ottawa shooter visited back in 2011 has condemned his actions, but that’s not stopping the threats against it. Rumina Daya reports.
A Burnaby mosque that was attended by the suspected Ottawa shooter says Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was banned from its grounds after voicing objections to visits by non-Muslims.
Aasim Rashid, a spokesman for the BC Muslim Association, says the gunman attended the Masjid al-Salaam mosque for a period of about three to four months some time in 2011 and perhaps in the beginning of 2012.
Zehaf-Bibeau was charged with robbery in Vancouver in 2011, and wanted to go to jail to kick his cocaine addiction.
Almost three years later, police believe it may have been a different kind of religious fervour that propelled Zehaf-Bibeau to Ottawa in search of a passport. When he couldn’t get one, they say, he drove up to Ottawa’s National War Memorial and shot a man to death before charging into Centre Block, where he was shot and killed.
“He was described as an individual who kept largely to himself,” says Rashid.
Zehaf-Bibeau had objections against the administration of the mosque, specifically the frequent visits from non-Muslims, says Rashid.
Zehaf-Bibeau was spoken to by the officials at the mosque.
However, Rashid says there were no criminal implication in the questions Zehaf-Bibeau raised and the RCMP were not contacted.
“There was no cause of alarm or reporting anything to the authorities,” says Rashid.
- Vancouver mother breastfeeding in car attacked by stranger: police
- Better disabled accessibility needed for B.C. taxi, ride-hailing industry, committee says
- Canfor to shutter B.C. sawmill, curtail Prince George pulp mill
- A look inside the now-sidelined ‘floatel’ meant to house LNG workers near Squamish
Rashid says Zehaf-Bibeau tried to use the mosque as a place to sleep, but was warned not to.
He was eventually told to leave the premises and not to come back again, prompting the mosque to change all of its locks.
READ MORE: Ottawa shooting: Was Michael Zehaf-Bibeau a terrorist or mentally ill?
Rashid says the association denounces the attacks in Quebec and Ottawa, calling them acts of criminal violence that show utter disregard for human life.
“We openly condemn the propaganda of the lawless groups trying to incite Canadians to hurt other Canadians,” he says.
Rashid says anyone who believes that carrying out attacks on Canadian soil is some sort of Jihad or an act of religious virtue has either misunderstood or perverted the teachings of Islam.
The mosque has received threats over the past few days since the two incidents, and the RCMP are investigating.
Wayne Rideout with RCMP’s National Security & Counter Terrorism unit says the criminal acts carried out this week reflect on the individuals who committed them and not on the community.
He says B.C. RCMP continue to assess potential threats in the province and are adjusting security needs accordingly; however, there are no current identified threats in B.C.
WATCH: The Ottawa gunman’s B.C. connection
With files from Rumina Daya
Comments