Quebec mosque shooting suspect surrenders to police

Published January 30, 2017
Police officers patrol the perimeter at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City. -Reuters
Police officers patrol the perimeter at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City. -Reuters

One of the two suspects held over a mosque shooting in Quebec City that left six people dead called police to surrender, authorities said Monday as they tried to piece together the gunmen's motive.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned as a “terrorist attack” the deadly assault Sunday night on the Islamic Cultural Center, one of the worst attacks ever to have targeted Muslims in a western country.

But it remained unclear what prompted the attack.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: "We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge".

"Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country."

The suspects have been identified by local media as French-Canadian Alexandre Bissonnette, and Mohamed Khadir, a Canadian of Moroccan descent.

Police declined to release the suspects' identities at a nationally-televised news conference on Monday, saying only that both were Canadian nationals with no apparent foreign links.

“It is a domestic investigation at this time,” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Martin Plante, while shedding no light on the suspects' motives.

Six people were killed and eight were wounded in the attack. One of the suspects was arrested at the scene, and the other surrendered without incident after calling police to tell them where he was, police said.

Police said they responded to the initial reports of the shooting at 7:55 pm local time, arriving within minutes at the mosque where they arrested one of the suspects.

About 15 minutes later, emergency services received a call from a man identifying himself as one of the assailants, and telling police where they could find him.

He was apprehended in his car at 9:00 pm about 20 kilometers outside of Quebec City. He is between 25 and 30 years old, said Denis Turcotte of the Quebec City police.

Monday morning, police searched a residence near the mosque, which is not far from Laval University and the historic heart of the four-centuries-old city.

Denis Briere, rector of the university, condemned the “odious, inhuman terrorist act.” Local media said the two suspects may have been students at the school, but officials would not confirm this.

Of the eight wounded in the shooting, five remain in critical condition, said hospital spokeswoman Genevieve Dupuis.

Opinion

Editorial

The next deluge
16 Jul, 2025

The next deluge

A THIRD of our people were directly impacted by the 2022 floods. Nearly 1,500 lives were lost, over $30bn just...
FC revamp
16 Jul, 2025

FC revamp

WHAT’S in a name? The civilian paramilitary force hitherto known as the Frontier Constabulary will continue to...
Simplified tax forms
16 Jul, 2025

Simplified tax forms

THE rollout of a new interactive tax return form should ease filing by simplifying the procedure, addressing a...
Consolidating gains
Updated 15 Jul, 2025

Consolidating gains

It would not be incorrect to say that the economy is still just a shock away from relapsing into another crisis.
Second thoughts
15 Jul, 2025

Second thoughts

AND, just like that, the PTI’s ill-timed ‘Second Pakistan Movement’ seems to have been put to rest. The...
Wounded women
15 Jul, 2025

Wounded women

MORALITY is a woman’s burden to bear, and the chilling upsurge in gender-based crimes is a reminder of how...