At least five people have been killed and several others were injured after shots were fired in a Quebec City mosque Sunday night.
Premier Philippe Couillard described it as a terrorist attack.
The president of the mosque told the Montreal Gazette he received a call around 8 p.m. saying there had been a shooting. He said people were at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec for regular evening prayers, and that anywhere from 60 to 100 people were in attendance.
“This is a terrible event,” Mohamed Yangui said. “We’re in a state of shock, I can’t find words to describe it.”
Yangui said five people were killed and many others injured. He said men, women and children attend evening prayers.
The mosque has about 5,000 members and is one of six in the Quebec City region.
Last June, worshippers at the same mosque discovered the severed head of a pig left in front of one of the doors, wrapped in cellophane with bows and ribbon, and a card that said “bonne appétit.”
Three weeks later, an Islamophobic letter titled “What is the most serious: a pig’s head or a genocide” was distributed in the vicinity.
But Yangui said the mosque had not received any threats recently.
“We have a very good relationship with the neighbours, with the community,” he said. “There’s mutual respect — and now today we have this dramatic event.”
The mosque has several video cameras and Yangui said their footage might be able to help with the police investigation.
A man who said he was a witness to the attack told Radio-Canada two masked suspects entered the mosque. The man said the men appeared to have thick Québécois accents and shouted “Allahu akbar” as they began shooting. He said the bullets struck people who were praying.
So far, Quebec City police have not specified the number of victims.
Police spokesperson Étienne Doyon told a press briefing police received a first call around 7:55 p.m. on Sunday, stating shots had been heard at the mosque.
He said two suspects had been arrested, but Doyon refused to provide further details.
Quebec City police confirmed deaths and injuries.
Friends and bystanders around the security parameter stood huddled in the cold, incredulous, unable to believe such violence could occur in Quebec City, a city with a notoriously low crime rate.
Ben Abdallah, who often prays at the Ste-Foy mosque, described the event as “catastrophic. We never thought … but given the hateful speeches all around the planet, it can happen,” he said.
Hamid Nadji had friends who were inside the mosque at the time of the shooting. He spoke to them afterward, and described the scene as “a carnage.”
“From what we heard over the phone, one person had a weapon discharged in his face because he had wanted to jump on the man to stop him. And the three others died because they wanted to catch the man.”
He said the assailant went into the mosque a first time, then left to recharge his weapon and came back a second, then a third time.
“Many of the people who lived through this fled their home countries to avoid such situations, because they lived through trauma and didn’t want the same for their children.”
A non-profit group that fights Islamophobia in Quebec said it has been asking authorities “for years” to deal with threats and attacks on Quebec mosques.
The Collectif Canadien Anti-Islamophobie said on Twitter Sunday night that the Quebec City attack was preventable but nothing was done.
The Islamic Centre of Quebec said: ‘This attack on a sanctuary where innocent people, including children, gather has shaken us deeply. It runs against the core values we hold as Canadians.”
It urged “the Muslim community to remain calm, united and know that the Canadian people stand with us in solidarity. We have faith that the great people of this country will stand and work together during this difficult time.”
The shooting came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an American travel ban that has barred citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.
Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet said the department will be more visible at certain locations, is in contact with the Muslim community and will meet with community leaders Monday morning.
A vigil has already been planned in Montreal on Monday.
On Twitter, several hashtags emerged, including #JeSuisQuébec, #IAmQuebec and #JeSuisQuébec #PrayForQuebec
Police survey the scene of a shooting at a Quebec City mosque on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. (Francis Vachon / The Canadian Press)
Witnesses say about a dozen people were wounded and some reports state two of three suspected gunmen have been arrested.
A live video feed on a Facebook page of a mosque showed images of multiple police vehicles and yellow police tape.
Political leaders condemned the shooting.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard described it as “barbaric violence” and saying “the government is mobilized to ensure the security of the Quebec population.”
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume said his city stands with the families of the victims and members of the mosque, and will support them through this “terrible ordeal that defies reason.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it as a “cowardly attack.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denounced the attack.
Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said police in his city have increased patrols around mosques in the city.
Mohamed Oudghiri speaks with the media near a Quebec City mosque after a shooting on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. He is a regular of the mosque. (Francis Vachon / The Canadian Press)
More to come.
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Additional reporting by Caroline Plante of the Montreal Gazette
