The sergeant-at-arms who killed the gunman during Wednesday attack at the Canadian Parliament was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation upon his return to the building Thursday morning.

Surprised with the warmest welcome back he had ever received, 58-year-old Kevin Vickers simply nodded to acknowledge the spontaneous applause from officials inside the hall which included Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

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Being a retired Royal Canadian Mountie and a sergeant-at-arms, Vickers did not hesitate to confront Michael Zehaf-Bibeau on Wednesday after he allegedly fatally shot a soldier at the National War Memorial and trespassed in the main Parliament Building in Ottawa.

Upon his arrival, the crowd of high-ranking officials ushered the sergeant-at-arms into the hall where he received a standing ovation from them for several minutes.

At some point, tears were seen rolling down Vickers' cheeks as officials honor his bravery in facing a violent person in adherence to his line of duty.

As the Parliament returned to work, it opened with the singing of their national anthem, and a moment of silence was offered for the soul of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, the slain soldier victimized by the Ottawa shooter.

During the parliamentary session, Canadian PM Harper honored Vickers for his "great work" and shook his hand in praise.

"I am very touched by the attention directed at me following yesterday's events," Vickers said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Canadian investigators are still trying to uncover what motivated the 32-year-old Canadian-born gunman whom Harper described as a "terrorist."

"Canadians will not be intimidated... We will be vigilant but we will not run scared," Harper declared expressing his belief that the attack was intended to stir fear and panic among the people and disrupt the government's operations.

Known to be with Libyan descent, the 32-year-old gunman who recently converted to Islam had applied for a new passport before the attack to go to Syria.

Contrary to other reports, his passport application had not been denied nor revoked and he was not also listed among 90 individuals considered as a "high-risk traveller" by the Canadian security.

However, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commissioner Bob Paulson revealed that Zehaf-Bibeau's email address was found in the computer of a suspect charged with a "terrorist-related offense."

TagsOttawa shooting, Parliament Hill, Kevin Vickers, michael zehaf-bibeau, sergeant-at-arms