A specialized national security unit within the RCMP has opened an investigation into ideologically motivated violent extremism after Monday’s midday shooting in Montreal that left three people dead, including a police officer and a bystander.

In an email Thursday, the RCMP said branches of its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in Eastern Canada and in the northwest region are working together on a case that is separate from the murder investigation led by Quebec provincial police.

These RCMP enforcement teams target terrorist groups or people who threaten national security.