6 killed, several gravely injured in Quebec mosque attack
CREDIT: FOX NEWS
QUEBEC CITY (AP) - - A police spokeswoman in Quebec City says some of the eight wounded are gravely injured after a mosque shooting that left six others dead. Authorities say there have been two arrests in the attack that happened during evening prayers Sunday. Canada's prime minister calls it an act of terrorism.
More than 50 people were at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre at the time of Sunday's attack. Some of the wounded were gravely injured, Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Christine Coulombe said early Monday. The dead ranged in age from age 35 to 70, she said. Thirty-nine people were unharmed.
One suspect was arrested at the scene and another nearby in d'Orleans, Quebec. Police don't believe there are other suspects. They didn't release the names of the two, and didn't immediately speculate on a possible motive.
Police in Quebec City responded to a shooting that took place outside of a mosque on Sunday. 6 dead, 8 injured in Quebec mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard both characterized the attack as a terrorist act, which came amid heightened tensions worldwide over President Donald Trump's travel ban on several Muslim countries.
"We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge," Trudeau said in a statement. "It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.
"Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country," he said.
In the summer of 2016 a pig's head was left on the doorstep of the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre. The incident occurred in the middle of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Practicing Muslims do not eat pork.
Canada is generally very welcoming toward immigrants and all religions, but less so in the French-speaking province of Quebec which has had a long-simmering debate about race and religious accommodation. A few years ago, Quebecers debated a "charter of values" under the previous separatist government, which called for a ban of ostentatious religious symbols such as the hijab in public institutions.
"The Muslim community was the target of this murderous attack," Couillard said at an early morning news conference.