Canadian car attacker was suspected radical: Officials

File photo of police in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Ian Willms/Getty Images/AFP)

MONTREAL: The young man killed by police Monday (Oct 20) after he ran over two Canadian soldiers with his car in a Quebec parking lot was known to authorities as a suspected radical, federal officials said.

One of the two soldiers is in critical condition in the hospital in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, some 40km south-east of Montreal, while the other was not as seriously injured, officials have said. The incident occurred shortly before noon, when a car smashed into the two soldiers in a supermarket parking lot before fleeing with police in pursuit.

A few kilometers away, the driver lost control of his car and flipped into a ditch on the side of the road. A witness said the driver was holding a knife and headed toward police after he extricated himself from his vehicle.

Police shot multiple times at the suspect, a 25-year-old man, who later died. The suspect was known to "federal authorities including our Integrated National Security Investigations team in Montreal," who "were concerned that he had become radicalized," the police said in a statement.

However, the investigation into the incident was ongoing, the statement noted, and federal police were working with law enforcement partners "to ensure all avenues of investigation are pursued."

The incident had drawn political attention when conservative lawmaker Randy Hoback referred to "unconfirmed reports of a possible terror attack" in a question to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the House of Commons.

"We are aware of these reports, and they are obviously extremely troubling," Harper replied. "We're closely monitoring the situation and obviously we will make available all the resources of the federal government," he added.