A gunman fatally shot a soldier in a ceremonial post before entering a nearby Parliament building in Canada’s capital last Wednesday.

Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was serving as the honorary guard of the National War Memorial when he was shot.  He was later identified and pronounced dead by police hours after the shooting, according to an article by the CBC.

Police shot and killed the gunman during their search of the building.  The shootout occurred near a room where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was giving a speech, forcing Members of Parliament to barricade doors and hide in closets, according to articles by Reuters and the Globe and Mail.

Ottawa police identified the shooter as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.  He was a recent Muslim convert and had a history of criminal offenses.   His actions were carried out alone and had no relation to the attack on soldiers in Quebec two days before, according to the Guardian. 

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, better known as the Mounties, said in a press conference they had a video of Zehaf-Bibeau showing evidence of a political motive behind his attacks.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the nation later that evening at an undisclosed location, calling the shooting a terrorist attack. He assured that the government would identify and take action against any threats.

“Let there be no misunderstanding.  We will not be intimidated.  Canada will never be intimidated,” Harper said in his televised speech.