Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, terrorist act

1. Michael Zehaf-Bibeau had a very good upbringing, so his terrorist act is even harder for people who knew him as a child and young adult to understand. According to a former neighbor, Janice Parnell, “I know that [his] mother was very caring and a very involved parent. Actually both parents seem to have been. The boy seemed to have had a very good upbringing. He had a good home base. He was involved in community things.”

2. Zehaf-Bibeau had a criminal record in his past. Most of his record involves petty crimes like drug possession and credit card forgery, but he was also previously arrested for robbery as well. In Vancouver in 2011 Michael was charged for uttering threats and for robbery.

3. Susan Bibeau is distraught over the actions of her son, and she has publicly said she was sorry for what he did and expressed her shock. When asked by reporters why she was crying Bibeau said “I’m crying for victims, not for my son. Can you ever explain something like this?”

4. Friends of Michael Zehaf-Bibeau have told reporters that they witnessed unusual behavior by Michael that was erratic before his terrorist act. One friend explained to a CBC journalist “We were having a conversation in a kitchen, and I don’t know how he worded it. He said the devil is after him. I think he must have been mentally ill.”

5. People who knew Michael stated that he planned to travel to the Middle East in coming months, but he never gave a definite travel date when discussing these plans.