Quebec City Police say six people are dead after shots were fired inside a mosque on Sunday night during evening prayers.
At least eight people were also wounded. Their condition is not known at this time.
Quebec City Police chief Etienne Doyon said mostly men were gathered inside the mosque, located within Sainte-Foy neighbourhood, when the gunmen started shooting just before 8pm (Quebec Time).
The mosque’s President, Mohammed Yangui, initially said that at least five people were killed.
Yangui added that he thought somewhere between 60 and 100 people were inside when the shooting began.
A “TERRORIST ACT”
At the moment of the attack, the men were praying on the ground floor of the building, while women and children were upstairs.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said the shooting was a “terrorist act”.
Two suspects were arrested by police, one was apprehended after a police chase.
“SITUATION UNDER CONTROL”
Police set-up a large perimeter around the mosque.
Quebec City Police said they are working with the RCMP and the Quebec provincial police. At 10:40pm police said the “situation is under control.”
“The building is secure and the occupants evacuated. The investigation continues,” wrote Quebec City Police on Twitter.
‘ALLAHU AKBAR!’
A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBC’s Radio Canada that two masked individuals entered the mosque.
“It seemed to me that they had a Quebecois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot they yelled, ‘Allahu akbar!’
“The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head,” said the witness.
“There were even kids. There was even a three-year-old who was with his father.”
MONTREAL, GATINEAU INCREASE SECURITY
Following the attack both Montreal and Gatineau said they will both be increasing security and surveillance, reported CBC.
Gatineau Police said they will pay “particular attention to the surroundings of mosques.”
PIG’S HEAD
In June last year, during Ramadan, a pig’s head was left outside the mosque accompanied with a ‘bon app?tit’ note.
A well-known restriction in the Islamic faith, eating pork is prohibited in the Qur’an.
“It is a waste of time, money and energy. We have high-definition cameras. We will certainly find the person who did this,” said Yangui at the time.
“We love everyone. We have no problem with anyone and we respect people. We hope it’s mutual. And we are always here to give the image of the good Muslim to all Quebecers,” he said.
“COWARDLY ATTACK”
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted to the news on Twitter saying it was a “cowardly attack”.
Source: CBC News
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