A French-Canadian university student known for far-right nationalist
views was charged with six counts of murder over the shooting
rampage at a Quebec City mosque
on Sunday.
The 27-year-old suspect identified as Alexandre Bissonnette made
a brief court appearance and did not enter a plea on the attack which
left six people dead and 19 others wounded during evening prayers.
Bissonnette, who has espoused support for the French far-right party of Marine Le
Pen and had liked U.S. President Donald Trump on his Facebook page, was
known to those who monitor extremist groups in Quebec, said François
Deschamps, an official with a refugee advocacy group.
"It’s with pain
and anger that we learn the identity of terrorist Alexandre Bissonnette,
unfortunately known to many activists in Quebec for taking nationalist,
pro-Le Pen and anti-feminist positions at Laval University and on
social media," Deschamps wrote on the Facebook page of the group,
Bienvenues aux Refugiés, or Welcome to Refugees.
An anthropology and political science major at Laval University in
Quebec City, Bissonnette had also expressed support on his Facebook
profile for “Génération Nationale,” a group whose manifesto includes the
rejection of “multiculturalism."
Among the six men killed were a butcher, a university professor, a
pharmacist and an accountant, according to police and Canadian media.
Police declined to discuss possible motives for the shooting at the
Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.
A man of Moroccan descent who had also been arrested was now considered
a witness, although his nationality was not immediately known, the
Canadian source said.
Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau, who has made a point of welcoming refugees and immigrants from
Muslim-majority countries, told parliament in Ottawa: "Make no mistake,
this was a terrorist attack."
Trudeau, who visited the Mosque
on Monday, added a personal message to Canada's 1 million Muslims:
"Know that we value you. You enrich our shared country in immeasurable
ways. It is your home. Last night's horrible crime against the Muslim
community was an act of terror committed against Canada and against all
Canadians. We will grieve with you. We will defend you. We will love
you. And we will stand with you."
In addition to the six killed, five people were critically injured and
12 were treated for minor injuries, a spokeswoman for the Quebec City
University Hospital said.
Federal Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters in Ottawa there
was no change to "the national terrorism threat level" from medium
because "there is no information known to the government of Canada that
would lead to a change at this time."
Over the weekend, Trudeau said Canada would welcome refugees, his
response to an executive order by Trump
on Friday to halt the U.S.
refugee programme and to temporarily bar citizens from seven
Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
Trump's action, which the president said was "not about religion - this
is about terror and keeping our country safe," was widely condemned in
the United States and abroad as targeting Muslims.
A father of four, the owner of a halal butcher near the mosque, was
among those killed, said Pamela Sakinah El-hayet, a friend of one of the
people at the mosque.
The mosque concierge was killed, as was Ahmed Youness, a 21-year-old
student, El-hayet told Reuters. One of El-hayet’s friends, Youness’
roommate, was in the mosque at the time of the shooting. He was
unharmed, she said, but in total shock.
Ali Assafiri, a student at Université Laval, said he had been running
late for the evening prayers at the mosque, near the university in the
Quebec City area. When he arrived, the mosque had been transformed by
police into a crime scene.
"Everyone was in shock," Assafiri said by phone. "It was chaos."
Additional reporting by REUTERS
