Shots fired at Canada's National War Memorial
Shots fired at Canada's National War Memorial Shirlee Engel/Twitter

A soldier has been shot at Ottawa's War Memorial in Canada, near the parliament, after a gunman opened fire.

The soldier was being treated by paramedics and police rushed on the scene.

Witnesses told CBC News that the suspected shooter was carrying a rifle.

The Canadian parliament building was reported to be in lockdown following the shooting. Police have cordoned the area and blocked access to Parliament Hill.

Other reports said shots were fired inside the parliament.

Police say that they have located the car belonging to suspect and advised people to stay away from Parliament Hill due to the ongoing incident. Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper was said to be safe and evacuated the building after the shooting.

At least 20 shots were inside the Canadian parliament, according to witnesses.

A Globe and Mail journalist said that "dozens of shots" have been fired inside the parliament building. Other reports said the man was wearing a long dark coat and had a "Middle Eastern scarf covering his face".

A Canadian member of parliament tweeting from inside the building, Malcom Allen, said that shots were heard inside caucus room in centre block:

Justin Ling, Ottawa bureau chief for Hyperpartisans Weekly, who is inside the parliament building, tweeted that there could more than one shooter:

The report seems to be confirmed by CBS, which quoted Ottawa Police as saying that multiple suspects are at large in the shooting.

Two MPs tweeted that the gunman has been killed by police.

Another member of parliament, Michelle Rempel, tweeted:

Reporters at the scene quoted police officers as saying that the shooter was on the Parliament's roof top and urged media to stay away from the area.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned people in downtown Ottawa to stay away from windows and rooftops.

The attack came a day after a 25-year-old Muslim convert was shot dead by police after he killed a Canadian solider and injured a second near Montreal.

Police said the man, Martin Couture Rouleau, had recently become influenced by radical Islam, with friends suggesting he acted in response to an appeal by the Isis (Islamic State) group for jihadi sympathisers across the world to launch 'lone wolf' attacks on westerners "wherever they can be found".

Canada raised the terror threat level in the country from low to medium following the attack.

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