Ted Cruz: Attacks in Ottawa, Jerusalem show radical Islam not confined to Middle East

Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, said the attack in Canada and a separate hit-and-run attack in Jerusalem Wednesday are reminders that “radical Islamic terrorism” is not confined to the Middle East and likened the shooting death of a soldier in Ottawa to the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas.

“Our great and good friends in Canada and Israel were targeted because both countries share the same core principles of tolerance and freedom that we in America hold so dear — and which are hated by the vicious terrorists whose ultimate goal is to destroy us all,” said Mr. Cruz, a possible 2016 GOP presidential contender.

A gunman who reportedly converted to Islam on Wednesday gunned down Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was guarding Canada’s National War Memorial.

While officials have not yet determined the motive behind the attack, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has labeled it a terrorist attack and some are speculating that it’s tied to the country’s stated support for the campaign to combat the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Mr. Cruz said the episode was “all too reminiscent” of the 2009 attack on Fort Hood by Army Maj. Nidal Hasan that claimed the lives of 13 people. Hasan has said that U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan drove his actions.

Mr. Cruz also said a “calculated targeting of innocents” in a hit-and-run in Jerusalem Wednesday that killed a three-year-old American citizen is reminiscent of an incident last month in Oklahoma where, police say, a convert to Islam decapitated a woman after being fired from a food processing plant.

“The United States stands unshakably with our close allies as we continue the long fight against the enemy who does not distinguish between our countries,” Mr. Cruz said. “We empathize with their losses as they are our losses as well. Ultimately, our solidarity and shared commitment to the defense of our way of life is the source of our strength.”