White House calls Canadian attack a ‘lone wolf’ terrorist event

The White House Thursday characterized the shootings at the Canadian Parliament as a “lone wolf” terrorist attack.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest called two incidents “despicable terrorist attacks” in which a Canadian soldier was shot to death Wednesday and a law-enforcement officer was killed in a hit-and-run earlier in the week. He said President Obama has long been concerned about such attacks in the U.S.

“The risk that is posed by a lone wolf terrorist is something that has been of significant concern to the president for many years now,” Mr. Earnest said.

The gunman in Wednesday’s shooting was said to have converted to Islam, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the violence was inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

“This week’s events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world,” Mr. Harper said.