6 Killed in 'Terrorist Attack' on Canada Mosque

8 hurt in Quebec City shooting; 2 men arrested, but only 1 now considered a suspect
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2017 12:41 AM CST
Updated Jan 30, 2017 12:03 PM CST
6 Killed in Mass Shooting at Canada Mosque
Police survey the scene after a deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, on Sunday.   (Francis Vachon/The Canadian Press via AP)

In what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called "a terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge," six people were killed and at least eight others injured in a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City on Sunday night. Police initially arrested two men—Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed el Khadir, according to a Quebec City court clerk—but later said just one remains a suspect, without naming him. One was arrested at the scene and another nearby, in his car on a bridge near d'Orleans where he called 911 to say he wanted to cooperate with police. Police said they did not believe there were other suspects but were investigating. A witness tells the CBC that two masked men with local accents started shooting after entering the men's section of the mosque at around 8pm.

"They started to fire, and as they shot they yelled, 'Allahu akbar!' The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives." "Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City," Trudeau tweeted. "My thoughts are with victims & their families." Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard also called the "barbaric violence" an act of terrorism and said flags would be lowered to half-staff. The Montreal Gazette reports that the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center is one of six mosques in the region and had a pig's head dumped on its doorstep with a card reading "bonne appétit" last June. In a statement, the mosque urged "the Muslim community to remain calm and united and to know that the Canadian people stand with us in solidarity." (More Canada stories.)

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