Canadian PM : Quebec Mosque Shooting a “Horrible Terrorist Attack on Muslims”
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Quebec City, 02 Jumadil Awwal 1438/30 January 2017 (MINA) – Six people were killed and eight wounded when gunmen opened fire at a Quebec City mosque during Sunday night prayers, in what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a “terrorist attack on Muslims”.
Police said two suspects had been arrested, but gave no details about them or what prompted the attack.
Initially, the mosque president said five people were killed and a witness said up to three gunmen had fired on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre. Police said only two people were involved in the attack.
“Six people are confirmed dead – they range in age from 35 to about 70,” SPA quoted Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Christine Coulombe as teeling reporters, adding eight people were wounded and 39 were unharmed
In Quebec, Islamophobia has been on the rise in recent years along with a fierce debate surrounding the niqab, the full-face covering for Muslim women, and its challenges to the country’s history of multi-cultural tolerance.
The Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center was targeted at least once before.
Last June, during the holy month of Ramadan, a pig’s head was left at its doorstep with a note reading “Bon appetit,” an apparent taunt since pigs are forbidden in Islam. (T/RS05/RS01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
