The two alleged perpetrators of the terrorist attack at the Sainte-Foy mosque in Quebec City, which claimed the lives of six people, were Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed Khadir, TVA News reported.
The two suspects were arrested following the shooting at the Islamic Cultural Center in the Sainte-Foy area Sunday evening, shortly before 8 pm.
Alexendre Bissonnette above dancing in a 2007 video. He appears to be an enthusiast of Japanese culture, according to his Youtube page.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCepF0XemWBwyySyMzQvhUtw
According to the University Hospital Center of Quebec (CHUQ), five people were also in critical condition, two in stable condition and three between life and death. Another 14 people were admitted to various hospitals for minor care, said CHUQ spokesperson Genevieve Dupuis at a press briefing on Monday morning.
“It went very well. We did not have to deploy an orange code, “she said, noting that the mass recall of medical personnel was not necessary.
Ms. Dupuis was not in a position to specify the nature of the injuries sustained by those affected.
The people killed were between 39 and 60, said the Sûreté du Québec.
In addition, 39 people inside the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec City came out of the shootout unharmed.
According to the Canadian Anti-Islamophobia Collective, the imam of the mosque, also a father of a family, is among the victims.
Search
In the morning, the police conducted a search in a housing building on chemin des Quatre-Bourgeois, a priori in the apartment occupied by one of the two suspects. This apartment is located less than one kilometer from the mosque.
SQ spokeswoman Christine Coulombe said the police treat the event as a terrorist attack because of “unseen investigative elements”. This tragedy had already been described as a “terrorist act” by Prime Minister Philippe Couillard earlier in the evening.
Suspects arrested
Ms. Coulombe also confirmed that two suspects were arrested by the police, one near the mosque and another near the Île d’Orléans bridge, about 20 kilometers away. They were interrogated by the policemen and remained under lock and key.
According to information obtained by TVA News, the first suspect would be a 27-year-old man with a strong Quebec accent. The second would be of Moroccan origin, it would be in the late twenties early thirties.
“There is nothing to suggest that there are other suspects,” said the SQ’s spokesperson.
A police anti-terrorist structure has been deployed to enable the various police forces – SQ, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Quebec City police – to coordinate their efforts and resources.
Two shooters
A man who had witnessed the shooting had told the CBC that two hooded men had returned to the ground floor after the evening prayer and shouted “Allahu Akbar”.
The man, who preferred to remain anonymous, said children were in the mosque at the time of the attack.
“It’s really shocking,” he added.
The director of the Islamic Center of Quebec, Mohammed Yangui recalled Sunday that his Islamic Center had been targeted before. In particular, there was a pork head placed in front of the mosque as well as graffiti.
A man met on Sunday near the site of the tragedy worried for his friends, accustomed to this period of prayer. “I try to reach them, but I can not. It’s terrible. ”
Several members of the Muslim community had come together in shock.
An important perimeter of safety was erected all around the sector.
