Canadian soldier killed in hit-and-run 'terror attack'

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Rouleau's car flipped over in a ditch following a police chase in which he was shot dead. Credit: Reuters

A Canadian soldier has been killed and another injured in a suspected terror attack in Quebec by a recent Islamic convert.

The suspect, named as Martin Couture Rouleau, is said to have deliberately mowed down the men outside a centre for injured servicemen in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

He was later shot dead by police following a car chase which ended with him losing control of his vehicle and flipping it into a ditch.

Police confirmed the incident also involved a knife but police sergeant Michael Brunet told CBC News: "I can't tell you if he had it in his hands at the time."

As Rouleau fled from the scene he called a 911 dispatcher and explained that he was “acting in the name of Allah," La Presse reported.

It has since emerged Rouleau was known to anti-terrorism investigators as someone who had "taken to radical Islam".

And Canada's public safety minister Steven Blaney said the incident was "clearly linked to terrorist ideology".

According to local news reports, friends described the 25-year-old as a struggling entrepreneur who turned to Islam a year ago after experiencing problems with his cleaning business. He is also thought to have a young son.

Canadian newspaper The Star reported Rouleau had tried to leave the country to fight with Islamic State militants abroad this summer but was stopped at the border.

Police would not confirm if the soldiers were wearing uniforms at the time they were struck. They have not been named at the requests of their families.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We're closely monitoring the situation."

It is not known if the soldiers were wearing uniforms at the time. Credit: Reuters

The attack is the first of its kind in Canada and comes just 15 months after British soldier Lee Rigby was murdered near his barracks in Woolwich, south east London after being run over and stabbed to death.

The Islamic State group has urged supporters to carry out attacks against Western countries, including Canada, that are participating in the US-led coalition fighting militants in Iraq and Syria.