A horrifying attack in which two Canadian soldiers were mowed down by a car near Montreal was a terror attack inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) and shows homegrown terrorism is spreading, former CIA and DIA official Fred Fleitz tells
Newsmax TV.
"This looks frighteningly similar to an incident in May of 2013 when two Nigerian immigrants in London ran down a British soldier and then killed him with cleavers and knives," Fleitz told the "Steve Malzberg Show."
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"We know they had been radicalized by the al-Qaida propaganda over the Internet. I have no doubt this incident in Canada is an incident of homegrown terrorism inspired by ISIS calls to kill western soldiers and people in western countries."
One of the later soldiers died in the Tuesday attack in which the driver was shot and killed by police.
The suspect was identified as Martin Couture Rouleau, 25, and an official told
CBS News and The Associated Press his actions were influenced by radical Islamists.
Fleitz, a senior fellow at The Center for Security Policy, said it was no accident that a radicalized Canadian ran over soldiers.
"This wasn't a road accident. We also know that al-Qaida, since 2001, has been engaged in a series of smaller attacks with a lower probability of success," he said.
"Most by recruiting followers over the Internet because they can't stage large attacks like blowing up aircraft. We know al-Qaida has been doing this and this is simply the latest effort."
Fleitz said military experts he has consulted about recent U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State in the Middle East have been "underwhelmed" by the success of the initiative.
"They're sticking to the maximum you cannot win a war with air power alone. It's not a surprise that some of our weapons may have fallen into ISIS hands," he said.
"If we have no boots on the ground to direct these air drops, some of them are going to fall into the hands of our enemies.
"We also know that ISIS is taking steps to defend themselves against our airstrikes. They are limiting their movements, they are moving their people within populations and eventually they're going to start using human shields, possibly chaining women or children near military facilities or command centers."
Fleitz said the Obama administration will eventually have to decide whether to send in Special Forces to direct some of the attacks.
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