Gunmen open fire on Quebec City mosque
Gunmen open fire on Quebec City mosque:- Gunmen opened fire at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers Sunday, causing multiple deaths and injuries, officials said.
Five people were killed after the shooting shook up the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec, Reuters and CTV reported, citing the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui. Quebec police confirmed the shooting had resulted in multiple fatalities, but did not confirm the death toll.
Quebec City police spokesman Constable Pierre Poirier said two suspects were arrested, The Associated Press reported.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard termed the act “barbaric violence.”
“Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “My thoughts are with victims & their families.”
Other Canadian officials echoed those sentiments.
Mes pensées sont avec les familles et amis des victimes et à la communauté de #SteFoy ce soir. Our hearts are broken.
— Harjit Sajjan (@HarjitSajjan) January 30, 2017
#CBC reporting multiple dead at Quebec City mosque, thoughts and prayers, today and tomorrow to be a sad day for #Canada
— Brian Masse (@BrianMasseMP) January 30, 2017
Shocking news. We just returned from Quebec City. Praying for the victims of this unspeakable crime. Those responsible must face justice. https://t.co/KeEAs2o1IZ
— Rona Ambrose (@RonaAmbrose) January 30, 2017
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale tweeted that his office was closely monitoring the situation, but he did not immediately confirm a motive for the shooting.
A witness told Reuters that up to three gunmen fired on about 40 people inside the mosque.
“Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” said the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui, according to Reuters.
The New York Police Department said in a statement it assigned members of the Critical Response Command, its counterterrorism squad, to certain mosque locations in light of the Quebec City shooting.
The mosque last June was the site of an anti-Islamic hate crime during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In that incident, a worshipper found a pig’s head left at the mosque’s doorstep around 2:30 a.m. It was accompanied by a note that read, “Bon appétit,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Eating pork is prohibited in the Islamic faith.
Source:- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/29/gunmen-open-fire-quebec-city-mosque/97229988/
