Sunday night saw fatal shooting during evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec. Six people were killed in the attack, while five victims remain in hospital – several of them in intensive care. Another 13 people have been released with minor wounds.
Witnesses reported seeing the gunman dressed in black and wearing a ski mask walking into the mosque and opening fire during the time of worship.
Two men were arrested immediately after the shooting, but only one of them was held as a suspect: 27-year-old Alexandre Bissonnette. Police, who considers this a lone wolf situation, refused to discuss a possible motive for the attack. However, sources close to Bissonnette reveal that he was sympathetic to the National Front, French extreme right-wing party, and that he was most likely motivated by religious hatred.
The mosque was already targeted before. In the summer of 2016 a pig’s head was left on its doorstep in the middle of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attack as an act of terrorism and sent a message of compassion and support to all Canadian 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.”