Stephen Harper 'Angered' by Paris Attack, Compares It to Ottawa Shooting

Mere months after suspected ISIS sympathizers launched attacks on Canadian targets, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued his own statement denouncing attacks in Paris against satire magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12.

"I am angered and saddened to hear of the terrorist attack today in the offices of the Parisian news magazine 'Charlie Hebdo,'" said Harper in his official statement. "The perpetrators of this attack must be apprehended and brought to justice."

Several media outlets are now identifying the three attackers as brothers Said Kouachi, 34, and Cherif Kouachi, 32, along with 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad. Cherif was convicted of terrorism charges in 2008 after funnelling militants to Iraq. It is not yet clear if the group acted on behalf of any entities at waging war in Syria and Iraq.

#BreakingNews: Photo of Cherif Kouachi, the second terrorist accused of the attack against #CharlieHebdo via @jpney pic.twitter.com/W2W7LHgmxk
— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) January 7, 2015

The three perpetrators, possibly still at large, reportedly yelled "Allahu Akhbar!" ("God is great!") as they opened fire with kalashnikovs in the streets of Paris, and that they allegedly claimed membership with al Qaeda in Yemen. The daylight attack is the fourth such terrorist operation in France in three weeks.

Although no group has formally taken responsibility, Harper was quick to link the shootings to the plague of international terrorism facing Canada and several of its allies. An international brigade of nations is dropping bombs on Islamic State and militant targets in Iraq and Syria, crippling the burgeoning militant state known for mass beheadings and promoting global jihad.

"This barbaric act, along with recent attacks in Sydney, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Ottawa, is a grim reminder that no country is immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere around the world," said Harper, mentioning the locations of the two Canadian attacks in October.

"Canada and its allies will not be intimidated and will continue to stand firmly together against terrorists who would threaten the peace, freedom, and democracy our countries so dearly value. Canadians stand with France on this dark day," he said.

In a video posted earlier this morning from the attack, the masked gunmen clad in black are seen moving in tactical formations wearing bulletproof vests. As one shooter secures the area before returning to a hijacked Citroen escape car, he shoots a single round without breaking a step into the head of an injured police officer who was pleading for mercy.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

That kind of tactical ability and callousness denotes a tested operator who may have either received training or saw some level of battlefield activity. It's worth noting that there is a precedent of former western combatants with militant groups in Syria returning to Europe battle-hardened. So far, an al Qaeda-linked Twitter account told AP it was not taking responsibility for the attacks as of yet, but found them "inspiring."

One known ISIS fighter with a strong Twitter presence disputed that Jahbat al-Nusra, the al Qaeda-linked militant group operating in Syria and Iraq, were responsible for the attack. Instead, his now-suspended account @AbuHeadshot made threats against westerners and praised the attackers.

Since western airstrikes began in the summer, senior members of ISIS urged foreign sympathizers to carry out attacks on westerners. In August, one senior spokesman with the group, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, urged sympathizers abroad to "kill a disbelieving American or European—especially the spiteful and filthy French—or an Australian, or a Canadian."

Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine known to militants that despised the published pictures of the Prophet Muhammad, was in fact a known target. In a 2013 issue of Inspire magazine, an al Qaeda-linked publication, publisher Stéphane Charbonnier was featured on a hit list of desired kills. Hours before gunmen stormed its office, Charlie Hebdo tweeted a caricature of ISIS spiritual leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The collective memory of public attacks against western citizens may strengthen the alliance currently carrying out military operations on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. France and Canada are both known participants in the air campaigns that destroy ISIS positions weekly.

And if Harper's harsh words for the scourge of international terrorism are anything to go by—the fight against jihadist militants around the world might just escalate after today's tragic events.

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