On Sunday, January 29th, 27-year-old, white French Canadian lone gunman Alexandre Bissonnette, targeted Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, in Quebec City, Canada, in a terrorist attack killing six and injuring eight, six of whom are in serious condition, 39 people managed to escape.
The Alexandre entered the mosque at 8 pm and opened fire on the congregation reportedly after shouting "Allahu Ackbar" but his motive for the attack has not been discovered. Researchers have described Alexandre as a "right-wing troll", he was an anthropology and political science student at the University of Laval.
Soon after the attack, it was thought that Moroccan-Canadian Mohamed Khadir, 27, was a participant in the attack but later discovered only to be a witness.
The six victims of the attack have been named as, Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti, 44; Azzeddine Soufiane, 57 and Ibrahima Barry, 39.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated after the attack, "We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge," Trudeau said in a statement. "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."
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper condemned the attack, “This terror attack must be repudiated by all those who are promoting and exploiting the growing Islamophobia in North America,” and went on to say, “We offer our prayers and condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured in this cowardly terror attack.”
Social Media users on Twitter shared their thoughts on the incident:
So a racist white guy in Quebec shoots up a mosque, yet no calls for "extreme vetting" of white guys. Wonder why? Oh yeah, it's the racism
— Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) January 31, 2017
Our prayers tonight are with the people of Quebec City as they deal with a terrible attack on a mosque. We must stand together.
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) January 30, 2017
@realDonaldTrump I hear the Quebec mosque killer is a white supremacist and supporter of yours. Are you going to put in a good word for him?
— The Socialist Party (@OfficialSPGB) January 31, 2017
Fan of Trump, hater of immigrants, radicalised by Le Pen: The Quebec mosque murder suspect https://t.co/bkXZSaBgrZ pic.twitter.com/cFwcJau2PY
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) January 31, 2017
We hold #Trump, #MarineLePen2017, and the rising wave of fascism absolutely responsible for enabling the #Quebec mosque terrorist attack.
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) January 31, 2017
These are the six victims of the terror attack on #Quebec Mosque. Share their faces and memory instead of the killers. #QuebecShooting pic.twitter.com/iJILfiF52W
— Suhail Mohammed (@shadowwraiths) January 31, 2017