White French-Canadian college student, Alexandre Bissonnette, named as the sole suspect in Quebec City mosque massacre
Canadian authorities say only one of two men detained in Quebec mosque shooting considered a suspect
Other man, Mohamed el Khadir, a Moroccan-Canadian, was also taken into custody but is now considered just a witness to the attack
Alexandre Bissonnette initially arrested for killing six people at a Quebec mosque on Sunday is now facing charges.
Bissonnette and el Khadir were both taken into custody after the attack at Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City on Sunday night
Bissonnette will appear before court in Quebec on Monday or Tuesday.
Six men aged between 39 and 60 were killed at the scene and five remain in a critical condition in intensive care at the city’s Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus
The attack came a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Donald Trump’s immigration ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US temporarily
The f ace of a killer: Alexandre Bissonnette is a student at Laval University, suspected of operating as a lone wolf in the Quebec mosque shooting
The other man arrested, Mohamed el Khadir, a Moroccan-Canadian, is now considered just a witness to the attack, police said.
One of the victims being transported to hospital, Sunday night
The motives behind the attack have not been revealed. A witness told Radio-Canada that the shooter yelled “Allahu akbar,” a Muslim phrase meaning, “God is great.”
The witness told the radio station that two masked individuals entered the mosque: “It seemed to me that they had a Québécois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot, they yelled, ‘Allahu akbar!’ The bullets hit people who were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head.
“There were even kids. There was even a three-year-old who was with his father,” said the witness who would rather remain anonymous.
The Six men aged between 39 and 70 were killed at the scene. Five other victims remain in critical condition in intensive care at the city’s Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus after Sunday night’s shooting. Thirteen people who had less serious injuries were released. Another 39 escaped from the mosque unharmed.
Investigators at the scene at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center on Sunday night
Among the victims is a government IT worker, the mosque’s concierge and a halal butcher who worked next door and a professor from the university where Bissonnette is enrolled.The victims were all multinational.
El Khadir was picked up by police at the mosque but Bissonnette fled in his Mitsubishi and was arrested in nearby Ile d’Orleans roughly 20 minutes later after he called 911 to turn himself in, Le Soleil reports. Police found two rifles and an AK-47 in the car.
One of the men called 911 following the shooting at the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec in the suburban community of Sainte-Foy, saying he was armed and wanted to cooperate with police.
The other man was arrested outside the Mosque building , just after the shooting.
Quebec City Police continued to work at the scene late into the night on Sunday night
U.S. President Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to express condolences about the attack and offer to provide any assistance needed, Trudeau’s office said.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called the attack “another senseless act of violence that cannot be tolerated.”
“It’s a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant, and why the president is taking steps to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to our nation’s safety and security,” Spicer said at a Monday press briefing.
Mohamed Labidi, The mosque’s vice president [center] gets emotional as he told gathered media security had been a ‘major’ concern for staff
The victims range in age from 35 to 60. Prime Minister Trudeau released a statement calling the attack “heart-wrenching.”
Alexandre Bissonnette’s car was abandoned on th roadside shortly after he shot up the mosque. He had given himself up in a quick turn around for the investigation
Provincial police visit the crime scene where two gunmen opened fire in a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers
Trudeau, who has made a point of welcoming refugees and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, told the House of Commons in Ottawa: “Make no mistake, this was a terrorist attack.”
He added a personal message to Canada’s one million Muslims:
“Know that we value you. You enrich our shared country in immeasurable ways. It is your home. Last night’s horrible crime against the Muslim community was an act of terror committed against Canada and against all Canadians. We will grieve with you. We will defend you. We will love you. And we will stand with you,” Trudeau said.
“Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country,”according to the Canadian P.M in the statement.
Prime Minister Trudeau called the attack “heart-wrenching”
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, told the region’s Muslim community: “We are with you”
Montréal mayor, Denis Coderre, condoled religious leaders, Monday afternoon
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard spoke to the region’s Muslim community.
“We are with you,” he said. “You are at home, and you are welcome at home.
“Together we have to continue building a society that is open, welcoming and peaceful,” he added.
Quebec Police have given no suggested motive for the killings but confirmed it was being treated as an act of terror. They are also looking in to whether a pig’s head left outside the mosque last year is connected to the incident.
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