At least 5 shot dead in Quebec mosque attack

Shooters open fire at evening prayers

Multiple people were killed and others injured Sunday after gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers, police and local media said.

The mosque’s president told Reuters that five people were killed. Police said via Twitter that there were “deaths and injuries” but did not specify a number, and a police spokesperson said that two suspects had been arrested.

“The situation is under control, the premises are secure and the occupants were evacuated,” police said in a tweet. “The investigation is ongoing.”

Witnesses said that as many as three gunmen fired at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center, according to the Montreal Gazette, which reported that about 100 people were inside.

“Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui, said.

Speaking on RDI, Quebec City police spokesman Etienne Doyon said that the shootings took place as prayers were ending Sunday evening.

Witnesses reported that at least two hooded shooters entered the mosque and opened fire on congregants who had remained there after the end of prayers.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attack “cowardly” and said Canadians grieved for the victims.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard condemned the attacks in a tweet and called for solidarity with Muslims in Quebec. “Quebec categorically rejects this barbaric violence,” he said.

In June, someone left a bloody pig’s head wrapped in cellophane and ribbon on the doorstep of the mosque, along with a note reading “Bonne appétit,” as The Washington Post reported at the time.