At least five people were killed after gunmen opened fire in a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers, the mosque’s on Sunday.
According to the report, a Quebec police spokesman confirmed that there were people killed, but did not say how many. He added that two suspects in the shooting were arrested. Police did not rule out the possibility of a third suspect who had fled the scene. The motive of the attack was not immediately clear. Police set up a perimeter around the mosque.
The report also states that up to three gunmen fired on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center. In addition to it, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter:
“Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families.”
Quebec’s prime minister, Philippe Couillard, said in a series of Twitter posts that the government was “mobilized to ensure the security of the people of Quebec.”
According to a eye witness outside the mosque, up to 3 gunmen fired on about 40 people in Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre. Moreover, in June 2016, a pig’s head was left on the doorstep of the cultural center.
Yangui, who was not inside the mosque when the shooting occurred, said he got frantic calls from people at evening prayers. He did not know how many were injured, saying they had been taken to different hospitals across Quebec City.
Incidents of Islamophobia increased in Quebec in recent years amid a political debate over banning the niqab, or Muslim face covering.
(With agency inputs)
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