A copy of "Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings" written by Sufi cleric and leader of the Minhaj-ul-Quran, Muhammad Tahirul Qadri lies among literature
A copy of "Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings" written by Sufi cleric and leader of the Minhaj-ul-Quran, Muhammad Tahirul Qadri lies among literature available at the Mississauga Muslim Community Centre in Mississauga, January 18, 2013. The cleric has held several lectures at the Community Centre, located just west Toronto, Ontario. Qadri recently returned to Pakistan after living in Canada for several years to lead a call for reforms that has made him an instant hit among Pakistanis disillusioned with the state. Photo taken January 18, 2013. REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Canada raised the national terror alert after a suspected jihadist had run over a soldier. The soldier later died in hospital.

According to Canadian officials, the terror alert level was raised to medium from low after the "radicalised" driver had hit a couple of soldiers on Monday. However, it was emphasised that rising the terror alert was not a result of a single incident. It rather means that Canada is under threat of a terror attack by an individual or a group from within the country or abroad, the Public Safety Ministry spokesman Jean-Christophe de Le Rue said.

Digital Journal reported that the 25-year-old Canadian, who had hit the soldiers with his car on Monday, was identified as Martin Couture-Rouleau. He was reportedly detained at a Canadian airport in July when he was trying to fly to Turkey. However, police did not have sufficient evidence against Couture-Rouleau to charge him with having a connection with any terrorist group abroad. Therefore, he was released. Police shot Couture-Rouleau fatally after he had hit the soldiers with his vehicle in a parking lot in Quebec. He later died in hospital.

According to police, Couture-Rouleau was among the 90 suspected extremists based in Canada. The Globe and Mail reported that he had been labelled as a "high-risk traveller" while he was trying to fly to Syria. Police considered him as one of those who were seeking to move abroad to join Middle Eastern extremist groups. However, Crown lawyers apparently disagreed with the police and considered Couture-Rouleau not viable to face prosecution.

While keeping militants away from war zones can be a valid strategy to counter terrorism, attacks may take place outside the "war zone" as well. Superintendent Wade Oldford, one of the top counterterrorism detectives in the country, said that the Islamic State had started urging its sympathisers in the West to hit back. "If you kill a disbelieving American or European ... or an Australian, or a Canadian ... kill him in any manner," Islamic State asked its Western followers. It started after the U.S.-led coalition force had launched a strike against the Middle Eastern extremist forces. More number of people sought leaving Canada to go to the Middle East since the strike, he said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au