Six killed in mosque shooting

> Canada PM dubs Quebec incident ‘terrorist attack’

QUEBEC CITY: Gunmen stormed into a mosque in Quebec during evening prayers and opened fire on dozens of worshippers, killing six and wounding eight in what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned as a “terrorist attack”.

Police arrested the two assailants following the shooting Sunday in the Islamic Cultural Centre in a busy district of Quebec City, police spokesman Christine Coulombe said.

She gave no indication of the identities or nationalities of the two suspects.

One witness told Radio Canada that “the two men were wearing black cagoules,” and one of them “had a “strong Quebecois accent”.

Coulombe said around 50 people were in the mosque when the shooting began at around 7.30pm on Sunday (8.30am yesterday in Malaysia) towards the end of evening prayers.

A few minutes later police descended on the Saint-Foy district – an area packed with offices and shops some 10km west of the city’s historic centre.

The mosque has already been the target of hate: a pig’s head was left on the doorstep last June during the holy month of Ramadan.

Other mosques in Canada have been targeted with racist graffiti in recent months.

The attack comes as Canada has vowed to open its arms wide to Muslims and refugees after US President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration ban Friday sparked travel chaos and outrage around the world.

Trudeau said in a statement that “we condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge”.

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

“It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence,” Trudeau said. “Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.”

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said in a series of Twitter posts that the government was “mobilised to ensure the security of the people of Quebec”.

“Quebec categorically rejects this barbaric violence,” he wrote. “Solidarity with Quebec people of Muslim faith.”

After condemning what he called an “odious attack” French President Francois Hollande said “it’s the spirit of peace and openness of the people of Quebec that the terrorists wanted to hit”.

Police stationed near the mosque said that they had feared this type of attack “because it’s happening all over the world”. – AFP