Police: 1 gunman in deadly Canadian mosque shooting

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON

There was only one gunman, not two, in an attack on a Quebec City mosque that left six dead and 18 wounded, police said Monday.

The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, is from the Cap-Rouge suburb of Quebec City.

He studied anthropology and political science at Laval University, which is only 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the mosque where the attack took place Sunday evening.

Five people are still in and 13 have been released, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), reported Monday.

Another suspect arrested following the attack has been released and is now considered a witness.

Quebec City police inspector Denis Turcotte said at a police briefing Monday that a man called the emergency 911 line about 8.10 p.m. (0110GMT) Sunday – about a half-hour after the attack – and said he was armed and perpetrated the shooting, the CBC reported.

“He seemed to want to co-operate,” Turcotte said. He told police where he was and was arrested nearby. Police said they have discovered no motive for the crime.

Bissonnette is charged with six counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, the CTV television network reported.

The victims included a grocery store owner and a university professor.

In the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his sorrow Monday.

“These people were targeted simply because they were practicing their religion,” he said. “This is a terrorist attack. It is an attack on the deepest values of Canadians, openness, diversity and freedom of religion.

“To the people who were injured, to the people of Quebec City, and all Canadians, I say rest assured that we will get to the bottom of matters.”

Trudeau will travel Monday to Quebec City from Ottawa for a vigil – one of many planned across Canada.

A spokesman for the prime minister said U.S. President Donald Trump telephoned Trudeau to express his sympathy and he “offered to provide any assistance as needed”.