The Calgary Police Service is calling the events that occurred Saturday night in Edmonton shocking and disturbing.
In a statement released on Sunday, CPS said the organization’s thoughts and prayers are with the Edmonton police officer and four Edmontonians injured in the attack, as well as their families and all the people of Edmonton.
“We have offered our full support to the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) as they investigate this incident. We are also working to assess whether there are any Calgary connections to the attack and what, if any, impacts the incident will have in our city,” it said in the statement. “At this point, we have no intelligence to suggest there is an imminent threat to Calgarians. However, it would be naive to think something like what occurred in Edmonton could never happen in Calgary.”
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“The Calgary Police Service works closely with intelligence partners across the country to identify and assess risks. We also evaluate the security measures at any large event in Calgary to ensure there are appropriate police resources and steps being taken to keep the public as safe as possible. If the Service gets any intelligence about a threat or has an incident that requires additional resources, there are protocols in place that make it possible to get any needed resources very quickly,” it said in the statement. “The safety of our city is something that all Calgarians can also contribute towards. Calgarians are encouraged to always remain vigilant. If people see something suspicious, they need to say something.”
Calgary’s mayor Naheed Nenshi also released the following statement regarding the attack in Edmonton.
“All Calgarians stand with our sisters and brothers in Edmonton in the wake of last night’s terror attack. We all condemn this terrible act of violence and hatred. We also stand with the Calgary Police Service as this was also an attack on those who protect us,” the statement said. “I have been in touch with Mayor Don Iveson and I know that he and his colleagues are working around the clock to get to the bottom of this situation. We have offered Edmonton whatever assistance they may need. I also know this: Albertans are resilient and this will not weaken the strong and diverse community that defines us.”
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At the Temple Community Association Centre on Sunday, Calgary Shia Muslims gathered to mark the holy day of Ashura. A time of mourning to remember the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson who was killed 1,400 years ago, fighting against injustice.
“He stood against injustice and we can’t stay quiet. So when such type of incident happens, we protest and we strongly condemn such terrorist activity and we will never support any kind of brutal attacks,” Safdar Shujah, the president of the Hussaini Association of Calgary, said.
“On behalf of the Hussaini Association of Calgary, I strongly condemn this attack in Edmonton,” Shujah said.
Members of the Hussaini Association of Calgary have met with members of the Calgary Police Service over the past year regarding radicalization. They say their main objective has been education.
“We as Canadian citizens and Calgary should be vigilant because these attacks can happen anywhere in the world. That’s why we have to spread education and awareness in our communities,” said Riyaz Khawaja, a member of the Hussaini Association. “We need to educate our youth about how radicalization happened in Calgary in the past that was a concern.”
The Calgary Police Service has put out a list of tips for reporting suspicious activity:
- Listen to your gut instinct. If something feels off, you may be right. We would much rather hear about it and have it be nothing, than not know about it and have someone get hurt.
- Watch for unusual items or situations, like vehicles parked in an odd spot, packages that are out of place and unattended, or people whose clothing and behaviour does not make sense in the situation.
- Notice if a person is trying to gain access to a restricted area, is hiding, or is showing an abnormal interest in security procedures or event layouts.
Calgary terrorism expert Michael Zekulin says the incident in Edmonton is a reminder that Canadians need to be vigilant.
“It just goes to highlight the real challenge. I mean you’re talking an everyday sort of weapon, be it a knife or a car, in this case what appears to be a U-Haul and you’re using it as a weapon and that’s very very difficult to stop,” Zekulin said. “It’s just paying attention. If you hear screeching or honking or things of these nature just to sort of be prepared. There’s really not a lot you can do. We have to recognize this isn’t a very common incident. We shouldn’t be expecting this to unfold in any kind of regularity.”