Canada: Gunmen kill five, injure 19 inside Quebec mosque
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By Femi SHODUNKE
CANADA: TWO men allegedly shouting “Allahu akbar” and wearing mask invaded a mosque during prayer time on Sunday night and shot six men dead in the Ste-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City in Canada.
And some few hours after the deadly shooting, which occurred at the Islamic Cultural Centre, two men – Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed Khadir – said to be in their 20s and 30s have been apprehended by the police that did not give further details about them.
GatewayMail learnt that no fewer than 19 persons were badly injured during the shooting, which the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as “heart-wrenching”.
Source said that the women and children Muslim worshipers escaped being killed as they were offering prayers on the upper floor of the building at the time the gunmen invaded the mosque.
It was also gathered that five persons were immediately hospitalized – two of them would undergo surgery and the three who are stable and to be discharged soon –while 13 others had been treated and allowed to go home with 39 persons escaping unhurt in the melee that ensued after the attack.
Police, however, said that the motives behind the killing were yet to be uncovered, but Trudeau condemned the act, saying it was received “with tremendous shock, sadness and anger.”
According to a release made available to GatewayMail by the Prime Minister Office (PMO), Trudeau that his government “condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge.”
He stressed: “On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of all those who have died, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.
“While authorities are still investigating and details continue to be confirmed, 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.”
The Prime Minister also said: “Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country.
“Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance.”
“Tonight, we grieve with the people of Ste-Foy and all Canadians,” Trudeau said, just as the Quebec Premier, Philippe Couillard, expressed anger at the shooting, which he described as “murderous act directed at a specific community.”
Couillard, who stated that the killing should be treated as an act of terrorism, added at a press conference: “I think the majority of citizens, not just in Quebec but elsewhere, would describe it that way.”
“We are with you,” the Premier told the Muslims community, adding: “You are at home. And you are welcome at home.”
Police Sergeant, Christine Coulombe, explained that those killed in the mosque were within the age of 35 and 70, adding that one of the two alleged killers was nabbed not too far from the mosque, while the other was arrested near l’ile d’Orleans, five kilometres from downtown Quebec City, after policemen chased and halted the SUV he was driving.
The Quebec City Mayor, Régis Labeaume, said that the city was already in mourning mood.
Labeaume declared: “To the Muslim community, our neighbours, our co-citizens, who count on our support and solidarity, I want to say, ‘We love you.”
Meanwhile, authorities are asking anyone with information into on the killing to contact Quebec provincial police at 1-800-659-4264.
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