Quote:The suspect charged with murder in Sunday's shooting that left six people dead at a Quebec City mosque was a "lone wolf," Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Monday.


Alexandre Bissonnette was identified as the person who opened fire at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center, according to a source with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a Quebec City court clerk.

Bissonnette faces six counts of first-degree murder and five attempted murder charges, according to the verified Twitter account of the Quebec Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was a student at Laval University in Quebec City, according to the school.

Goodale, speaking to reporters at an Ottawa news conference, said the attack was one that would have been difficult to prevent. The terror threat level remains unchanged, he said.

"At this time, the National Terrorism Threat Level for Canada remains at 'medium,' where it has stood since 2014," Goodale said, referring to the threat level after the October 2014 incident in which Michael Zehaf Bibeau killed Cpl. Nathan Cirilloan, an army reservist, as he stood sentry at Canada's war memorial in Ottawa.

Witnesses said the mosque gunman fired indiscriminately into the crowd of worshipers, which included men, women and children.

Laval officials said they "strongly and unreservedly denounce the unacceptable and terrible acts" at the mosque.
Bissonnette, who was a student in the university's school of social sciences, has been barred from any study or research activities until the end of the current judicial process, the school said.

Between 2002 and 2004, Bissonnette also participated in the Cadet Program, a nationwide youth program affiliated with the Canadian Armed Forces that focuses on developing skills such as leadership and citizenship, said Maj. Doug Keirstead, spokesman for the Canadian Armed Forces.

"Cadets are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces and they do not receive military training," Keirstead said.

No other information was immediately released on Bissonnette, who is in custody.

The province's premier, Philippe Couillard, called the attack an act of terror.

Quote:[/url]
hilippe Couillard 

✔@phcouillard
À la suite de cet acte terroriste, j'ai demandé à l'#assnat de mettre en berne notre drapeau du #Québec. #tousunis
12:11 AM - 30 Jan 2017

• 
  

Many questions remain, and some details have changed as the investigation evolves. Here's what we know so far:

The attack


It was originally thought two gunmen dressed in black opened fire at the center in Quebec City on Sunday.
Authorities on Monday identified the six slain victims. Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti, 44; Azzeddine Soufiane, 57; and Ibrahima Barry, 39.

Five wounded people remained hospitalized Monday, said a spokeswoman for Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus.

The National Police of Quebec said 39 others inside the mosque were not hurt.

The investigation

Of the two people arrested Sunday night, only one is now considered a suspect, said Surete de Quebec, the police organization investigating the shooting.

The other person who was arrested is now considered a witness and not a suspect, as originally believed, police told CNN.
Authorities have not released a possible motive, but police are investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. They're also trying to determine if the shooter had accomplices.

CNN partner CBC reported that an attacker called 911 and said he was armed, but said he was willing to cooperate with police.

The mosque's response

The mosque urged the public to not jump to conclusions or spread unsubstantiated rumors.

"Please wait for preliminary result (of the investigation) before circulating rumors," the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center said on Facebook. "The situation is very critical."


Another post showed the center's gratitude for the "hundreds of messages of compassion coming from all over."

On Monday night, a procession of candle-holding marchers spilled quietly into the snow-packed streets during a vigil and a gathering at the mosque. Two young women stopped as many people as they could and asked mourners if they wanted pins that said "Welcome to all refugees," in French on the top of the pin.

Milena Babin, a volunteer with the Intercultural Center of Quebec, handed the pins out one by one, explaining that the design was by a local artist.

Babin said the inscription in Arabic at the bottom means welcome to Quebec.

"(The buttons) were originally designed to welcome refugees to Quebec," Babin said. "But we had some leftover, and thought it was a good idea to distribute them tonight."

Milena Babin poses with a button from the Intercultural Center of Québec. Babin says the inscription in Arabic at the bottom means welcome to Quebec.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the throngs of people who attended the vigil. He carried a bouquet of flowers.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a rally near the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City.

Some people said they came to support the city's Muslim residents.

Louis Tardif, 15, said he was horrified when he learned his friend's father was among the victims.

"I didn't see him at school today," the teenager said. "I don't know when I'll see him again, but I'll be here for him if he needs me."

His message to Muslims around the world: "To stay strong and to do what you want to do"

Mary Christine Miller, 31, who lives nearby, not far from another mosque, struggled to understand why the attack happened.

"Why?" she said. "They didn't do anything to us, they were just praying."

Mosque was previously targeted

This is not the first time the mosque has been targeted.

Last year, the cultural center received a wrapped pig's head and a magazine with a pig on its cover, saying "Bonne Appetit," according to a post on its Facebook page. The post reads:

"We just learned that a gesture of hate towards our Great Mosque took place Sunday morning (14 Ramadan) around Salat Al-Fajr! Police was made aware and opened an investigation!"

Under the Quran, pork is prohibited and pigs are considered unclean.

Quick condemnation

Canada's leaders condemned the attack on social media.

Trudeau tweeted his condolences in both French and English.

"Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families."

Quote:

[url=https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau] Follow
Justin Trudeau 

✔@JustinTrudeau
Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families.
10:35 PM - 29 Jan 2017

Later, in a statement on his official site, Trudeau wrote:

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

"Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country. Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance."

Premier Couillard said Quebec's support of Muslims will not waver.

"Let's unite against violence," the post reads. "We stand in solidarity with the Muslim people of Quebec."

Quote:The French Canadian university student charged with killing six Muslim men during evening prayers at a mosque was known for far-right, nationalist views and his support of the French rightist party led by Marine Le Pen.

Alexandre Bissonnette was charged Monday with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder over the shooting rampage at a Quebec City mosque that Canada's prime minister called an act of terrorism against Muslims.

Bissonnette made a brief court appearance and did not enter a plea in the attack staged during evening prayers Sunday. Wearing a white prisoner jump suit, his hands and feet shackled, he stared down at the floor and fidgeted, but did not speak.

The 27-year-old suspect, who has espoused support for Le Pen and U.S. President Donald Trump on his Facebook page, was known to those who monitor extremist groups in Quebec, said Franτois 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 RefugiΘs, 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 "GΘnΘration Nationale," a group whose manifesto includes the rejection of "multiculturalism."

Authorities said Bissonnette was unknown to police.

The grandson of a decorated World War II veteran, Bissonnette appears in a Facebook photo as a boy dressed as an army cadet, a military leadership program for Canadian youths. But cadets are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces and do not receive military training.

For Le Pen and her supporters, "massive migration," notably from Muslim North Africa, is supplanting French civilization and is at the root of many France's modern woes. "On est chez nous" ("We're in our land") is a mantra at the rallies of her party, the National Front. Her views have won the endorsement from white supremacists.

More than 50 people were at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when the shooting began, and witnesses described a scene of chaos as worshippers scrambled to find friends and loved ones. In addition to the six dead, 19 people were wounded -- all men. Of the five victims who remained hospitalized, two were in critical condition, authorities said. The dead ranged in age from 39 to 60.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard both characterized the attack as a terrorist act, which came amid strong criticism around the world over Trump's temporary travel ban for people from seven Muslim countries.

Canada is generally welcoming toward immigrants and all religions, but the French-speaking province of Quebec has had a long-simmering debate about race and religious accommodation. The previous separatist government of the province called for a ban on ostentatious religious symbols, such as the hijab, in public institutions.

Trudeau said in Parliament that the victims were targeted simply because of their religion. Speaking directly to the more than 1 million Muslims who live in Canada, he said, "We are with you."

"Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours," Trudeau said.

The prime minister later attended a vigil along with thousands of people bundled in winter clothes in front of Notre-Dame-de-Foy Church, just around the corner from the mosque that was attacked. It was one of many vigils in Canada, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris was darkened in respect to the victims as was the CN Tower in Toronto.

The suspect was arrested in his car on a bridge near d'Orleans, after he called 911 to say he wanted to cooperate with police.

Authorities, who initially named two suspects, said the other man taken into custody was a witness to the attack and was released. Officials said they did not believe there were others involved but were investigating.

Police did not give a motive for the attack.

Trump called Trudeau to express condolences to the Canadian people and to offer any assistance that might be needed.

The White House pointed to the attack as an example of why Trump's policies are needed. "We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be pro-active, rather than reactive when it comes to our nation's safety and security," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.


The victims were businessmen, a university professor and others who had gathered for evening prayers, said Mohamed Labidi, vice president of the mosque.

"`It's a very, very big tragedy for us," Labidi said tearfully. "We have a sadness we cannot express."

He said the victims were shot in the back.

"Security at our mosque was our major, major concern," he said. "But we were caught off guard."

Asked if he blamed recent rhetoric in in the U.S. for the attack, the Quebec premier said he would "not go there"

"Quebec is a good, generally loving society, but we have these devils as other societies have. We have to recognize that and fight them," Couillard said at a news conference at which he and Muslim leaders held hands in a display of solidarity.

The mosque has been a target of hate crimes in the past, including last summer when a pig's head was left on its doorstep during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Practicing Muslims do not eat pork.

(02-01-2017, 03:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Perhaps once we start having an influx of refugees from canada we'll concern ourselves more.

And when exactly did you figure the thread would be started?

(02-01-2017, 03:56 PM)GMDino Wrote: I just thought we all cared about terrorism.

(02-01-2017, 03:57 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I'm sure we do.

And when exactly did you figure the thread would be started?

(02-01-2017, 03:59 PM)GMDino Wrote: Have I missed a new rule on length of time between events and creating a thread?

(02-01-2017, 04:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: You tell me; as you were the one surprised a thread hadn't been started yet.

(02-01-2017, 01:34 PM)GMDino Wrote: Figured there would be some discussion about this by now.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/31/mosque-shooting-suspect-in-canada-known-for-far-right-views.html

(02-01-2017, 05:15 PM)Dill Wrote: A Le Pen/Trump supporter.

How can we prevent similar attacks within our own borders?

(02-01-2017, 03:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Perhaps once we start having an influx of refugees from canada we'll concern ourselves more.

And when exactly did you figure the thread would be started?

(02-01-2017, 05:19 PM)Nately120 Wrote: I see you are no longer keeping your pointless bitching for the Trump-related threads only.

(02-01-2017, 05:32 PM)bfine32 Wrote: What did I bytch about in this thread again?

(02-01-2017, 03:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Perhaps once we start having an influx of refugees from canada we'll concern ourselves more.

And when exactly did you figure the thread would be started?

(02-01-2017, 03:57 PM)bfine32 Wrote: And when exactly did you figure the thread would be started?

(02-01-2017, 04:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: You tell me; as you were the one surprised a thread hadn't been started yet.

(02-01-2017, 05:35 PM)GMDino Wrote: Now can we talk about the terror attack on the Mosque?  Or do we want ANOTHER thread shut down?

(02-01-2017, 05:42 PM)Griever Wrote: lets all be civil, we dont want him exploding like st lucie did

(02-01-2017, 05:35 PM)GMDino Wrote: Now can we talk about the terror attack on the Mosque? Or do we want ANOTHER thread shut down?

(02-01-2017, 05:42 PM)Griever Wrote: lets all be civil, we dont want him exploding like st lucie did

(02-01-2017, 05:45 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Hell ask Nately. As I have talked about it:

Not only have I talked about it when I stated I'm sure we all dislike terror I further stated it is not news because we do not get a large influx of Canadian refugees.

But I'm sure the reply "Extreme vetting" had a whole lot to do with the mosque attack in Canada by a Canadian citizen. Or are you perhaps trying to make another point?

(02-01-2017, 05:46 PM)Dill Wrote: What happened to St Lucie? I liked the guy. He was always polite to me on the old list. Then I come on this one and find him banned?

Also, all of us should remain civil so that interesting discussion is not shut down by the actions of one or two.

(02-01-2017, 05:46 PM)Dill Wrote: What happened to St Lucie? I liked the guy. He was always polite to me on the old list. Then I come on this one and find him banned?

Also, all of us should remain civil so that interesting discussion is not shut down by the actions of one or two.