Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the Ottawa gunman killed yesterday on Parliament Hill, had a connection to the Burnaby mosque on Canada Way.
The slain shooter, a 32-year-old Canadian, moved to B.C. from Eastern Canada and began showing up at the Burnaby mosque about three years ago but was asked not to come back.
Mufti Aasim Rashid is the spokesperson for the B.C. Muslim Association, which runs the Burnaby mosque. Rashid told the NOWthey had a scant description of Zehaf-Bibeau and that he drifted in and out of the Burnaby mosque for a few months in 2011.
“He was asked to leave the mosque, because he had gotten a hold of keys and stuff from the mosque, and when he got out of jail, he just started sleeping there,” Rashid said. “They discovered him one day. He would come late at night and leave early in the morning, before people came. And when they discovered him, they changed all the locks and asked him not to come back. That was like a year ago. We do not have any confirmations of him visiting that mosque after that.”
Representatives with the Burnaby mosque also met with Zehaf-Bibeau, after he complained about some of the programs.
“They had a sit-down with him when he was sort of complaining about the way the mosque was running. At that mosque, they have a lot of interfaith programs and community programs. He had a problem with that. He said, ‘Why are you allowing non-Muslims into the mosque?’ So the chairman sat him down and said, ‘Look, our mosque has always been very open, and we plan on staying that way. Either you respect the way we are running it in an inclusive way, or it’s probably better you go somewhere else.’"
Rashid also said people were uncomfortable around Zehaf-Bibeau because he had a rude demeanor. He also said it appeared Zehaf-Bibeau was “radicalized” through the Internet, and not through any local connections.
“If this guy was radicalized, it happened through online activities, as opposed to community interaction with people, especially in a place like Burnaby,” Rashid said. “That mosque is so open and welcoming, it would almost be therapeutic for someone with a radical mindset. I don’t see any people, based on what we know, any community links or people that would have helped him develop such a mindset.”
According to the Globe and Mail, Zehaf-Bibeau was also friends with Dave Bathurst, one of the operators of Bathurst Irrigation, a company located in Burnaby’s Forest Grove area. Bathurst told the Globe he met Zehaf-Bibeau at the Burnaby mosque about three years ago, and while he didn’t seem violent or extremist, he did seem to have a disturbing side and wanted to travel to Libya. (Zehaf-Bibeau's passport was seized recently.) The Globe also reported that Bathurst saw Zehaf-Bibeau praying at the mosque six weeks ago. (When the NOW asked Rashid about this, he was surprised and said he couldn’t confirm any recent sightings.)
The NOW contacted Bathurst Irrigation, but calls were not returned by deadline.
On Wednesday, Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot 24-year-old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was on guard at the National War Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. He then went to Centre Block, the main parliamentary building, where he was shot by the House of Commons sergeant-at-arms.
