By: Kyle Jaeger / ATTN Six people were shot dead and eight others were injured after a gunman, identified by authorities as 27-year-old Alexandre Bissonnette, opened fire inside a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, on Sunday night.
Quebec City mosque attack suspect identified as Alexandre Bissonnette https://t.co/ZnwxHUXRVC #QuebecMosqueShooting
— CAMWL (@CAMWLnews) January 30, 2017
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
- Around 8 p.m., Quebec City police responded to calls about a shooting at the mosque, which had been recently vandalized with racist epithets and symbols, including a swastika painted on its door, The New York Times reported.
- The suspected shooter, Bissonnette, was arrested and charged with six counts of murder on Monday, according to the Associated Press.
BREAKING: Court docs say Quebec attack suspect Alexandre Bissonnette charged with 6 counts of murder.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 30, 2017
- Police initially arrested two individuals, Bissonnette and Mohamed Belkhadir — who was subsequently released after law enforcement determined that he was a witness to the crime. There are currently no other suspects.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau characterized the shooting as a “terrorist attack on Muslims” during a press conference Monday.
Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 30, 2017
- Bissonnette had a history of engaging in online harassment and making discriminatory comments against foreigners in chat rooms and on social media, Quebec newspaper La Presse reported.
- Law enforcement have not yet determined the motive behind the attack.
- The attack came one day after Trudeau expressed sympathy for refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East, welcoming them to Canada.
https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/825441992926699520/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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