Marco Rubio: Canada Parliament Shooting was 'Islamic Extremism'

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., offered his thoughts on Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the gunman who attacked the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday. In his rampage, Zehaf-Bibeau, a recent convert to Islam, killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo.

Our neighbors to the north have a long history of standing by America in good times and bad, Rubio said on Thursday. Canada has been by Americas side in our struggle against violent jihadists. Since 9/11, Canadian servicemen and women have shed blood in the fight against Islamic extremism, and we stand with them during this difficult period and pledge our unwavering support as we join them in mourning the fallen.

The attacks of recent days in Canada as well as the horrible attack on pedestrians, including Americans, on a Jerusalem street yesterday are yet another painful reminder that declaring wars to be over does not end them, Rubio added. Radical jihadists remain committed to waging war against anyone who does not share their warped ideology, which is why we must defeat them wherever they reside and work to reduce the risk of self-radicalization of individuals in our societies.