Radicalized Canadian Muslim mows down two soldiers 'in the name of Allah', killing one

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Attacker: Martin Couture-Rouleau, 25, ran down the two soldiers in his car Monday morning. The government said he is a known radical

A radicalized Muslim convert ran down two soldiers in his car - killing one - in an apparent terror attack on Monday, before being shot dead by police.

Martin Couture-Rouleau, 25, sped into the two young soldiers - one uniformed and one not - around 11.30am in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, not far from Montreal.

After the impact he sped off, but was chased down by Canadian police, who shot him dead.

Both soldiers survived the attack, however one died from his injuries in hospital early Tuesday.

The fallen solider has been identified as Patrice Vincent, 53. 

The second soldier is recovering. 

A Canadian government spokesman confirmed that Couture-Rouleau, who describes himself as a recent convert online, was on a list of known radicals.

One neighbor told reporters that the man had fallen in with extremist Muslims around a year ago. On social media websites, Couture-Rouleau posted polemics attacking Christianity, Western leaders and Israel.

He also published images seemingly to glorify armed jihadist extremists, denigrating Westerners as 'kaffir', a derogatory Arabic term for non-believers.

After he ran down the two men, Couture-Rouleau called 911 and boasted to operators that he had attacked in the name of Allah, the Toronto Sun reported. 

Eyewitnesses told the newspaper how during the police chase which followed, Couture-Rouleau rolled his car after hitting a spike striped put down by police.

He landed upside down in a ditch.

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Planned attack: Police say that Martin Rouleau, 25, waited in the carpark for the soldiers for at least two hours before mowing them down and taking off, leading police on a high-speed chase

Police chase: Officers are pictured investigating the crash scene. Couture-Rouleau's grey car rolled over and landed in this ditch. According to witness accounts he crawled out and charged at police, who shot him

Weapon: Couture-Rouleau came at police with a knife before he was shot. This is believed to be the weapon, found near his overturned car

Scene: A knife is wedged in the ground where police shot and killed a motorist who had climbed out of his overturned car wielding a knife, in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, after two soldiers were hit by the motorist

Evidence: Police officers trawl the scene just hours after the showdown, which took place noon Monday

Police investigators take photos at the scene where the two soldiers were struck in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. One of two soldiers hit by a car died of his injuries early Tuesday

They told how he emerged from the car with a long knife and charged at police - who then opened fire.

One witness said: 'I heard [the police] shout several times, "Get out of the car, get out of the car and raise your hands."

'The man got out and charged towards the policewoman. Then that's when we heard seven gunshots, then the man was on the ground.'

In a statement released shortly after the incident, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: 'The individual who struck the two [Canadian Armed Forces] members with his car is known to federal authorities, including the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.

'Federal authorities have confirmed that there are clear indications that the individual had become radicalized.'

Earlier in the day, Randy Hoback, a member of Parliament for the ruling Conservative Party, referred in the House of Commons to unconfirmed reports of 'a possible terror attack against two members of the Canadian armed forces.'

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and Transport Minister Lisa Thériault address reporters at a news conference in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, on Tuesday Oct. 21, 2014, after two soldiers were run down by a motorist

Road block: The spike strip used by police to stop the car lays next to a cruiser in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Scene: Martin Couture Rouleau, 25, of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, was shot and killed by police after he struck two members of the Canadian military with his car Monday in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu

'In the name of Allah': Couture-Rouleau reportedly called 911 to boast about his attacks while on the run

Crime scene: This is the carpark where the two soldiers were hit. It serves several commercial properties, as well as a number of provincial, federal and military administrative offices

At the time, Harper said the reports were 'extremely troubling' but declined to give more details.

A spokesman for the Surete du Quebec police force said they were investigating whether the soldiers had been specifically targeted.

Police said Tuesday that Rouleau had been waiting in the carpark for at least two hours, according to CBC News.

Witnesses have said they saw his car - a gold Nissan Altima - in the car park from about 9.15am. 

A least one of the soldiers was in uniform, police said. 

The Canadian government recently pledged six fighter jets to take part in the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS militants in Iraq.

Canadian security officials have fretted for years about the potential threat of radicalized young men, especially those traveling abroad to join militant groups including Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 

There was no immediate indication Rouleau had traveled abroad.

Ray Boisvert, former assistant director for intelligence at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) spy agency, said he suspects Rouleau was a lone actor who would have been difficult for authorities to stop.

'It reflects what's going on in a very active threat environment. You have far too many targets and far too many active targets,' he said.

The case bears some parallels to the murder in the UK last year of Lee Rigby, a member of the British Army who was run down then beheaded by two Muslim fanatics.

Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale rammed their car into Rigby as he walked down the street in the Woolwich suburb of London.

They then hacked his head from his shoulders with a meat cleaver and delivered threatening messages, characterizing the murder as a revenge attack, to bystanders recording with their phones.

Both were tried and convicted for the murder and are serving decades-long prison sentences.