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Multiple dead, 2 arrested in shooting at Quebec City mosque

Quebec City Police say several people are dead after shots were fired inside a Quebec City mosque on Sunday night.

Multiple people are also feared wounded. Their condition is not known at this time.

A few dozen people were inside the Islamic cultural centre of Quebec in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood when the shooting began just after 8 p.m.

Quebec City Police Constable Étienne Doyon said mostly men were gathered at the mosque for evening prayers.

The director of the centre said at least five people were killed, but that information has not been confirmed by police.

Two suspects have been arrested, one of whom was apprehended after a chase that ended near l'île d'Orléans.

A large perimeter has been set up around the mosque.

A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBC's French-language service Radio-Canada that two masked individuals entered the mosque.

"It seemed to me that they had a Quebecois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot they yelled, 'Allahu akbar!' The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head," said the witness.

"There were even kids. There was even a three-year-old who was with his father."

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said in a tweet that the province is mobilizing to assure the safety of Quebec City residents.

He added that "Quebec categorically rejects this barbaric violence" and offered solidarity with the families of victims and wounded.

Last June, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a pig's head was left on the doorstep of the mosque.

The good news, though --over 600,000K has been raised to rebuild:

Guinevere wrote:Meanwhile -- back in Tejas, a mosque mysteriously burns down, just after the Immigration EO is signed

Alleged anti-immigrant suspect charged in Quebec mosque shooting



QUEBEC CITY — A man known to express anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments on social media was arraigned at the courthouse Monday in the deaths of six people and wounding of 17 others at a Quebec City mosque — a rare mass shooting in Canada and the country's first lethal attack on a mosque.

Police identified the suspect as Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, a resident of Quebec City. He faces six charges of first degree murder and five charges of attempted murder with a restricted firearm, according to Quebec City Court documents.

Authorities released the names of the victims as Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti, 44; Azzeddine Soufiane, 57 and Ibrahima Barry, 39.

A second man who had been held in custody was described as a witness and released Monday.

Scooter wrote:Spicer was at it today trying to claim that this shooting justified the U.S. immigration ban

After Texas Mosque Destroyed, Muslim Community Given Keys to Synagogue

The 100 members of the Victoria, Texas mosque gutted by a mysterious fire last Saturday have been give a temporary new home: the local synagogue.

Days after a fire destroyed the Victoria Islamic Center (the only Muslim place of worship in the small town of around 65,000), members of the local Jewish community gave the mosque's founder, Shahid Hashmi, keys to their sole synagogue.

“This is sad for everyone in the community," Robert Loeb, the president of Temple B'nai Israel, told Forward. "As Jews, we especially have to feel for the Muslim community. When a calamity like this happens, we have to stand together."

And Victoria Jews are too familiar with this strain of calamity. In 2008, Loeb's temple was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti — another moment that drew support from other local religious communities.

In a town the size of Victoria, where "everyone knows everyone," the decision just made sense to Loeb.

“We have probably 25 to 30 Jewish people in Victoria, and they probably have 100 Muslims. We got a lot of building for a small amount of Jews," he said.

Loeb's congregation isn't the only community offering aid to Victoria Muslims. In the past four days, people across the world have raised more than $1 million through an online fundraising campaign to help rebuild the mosque.

The FBI has yet to pinpoint what started the Saturday morning fire, but its timing — a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking people traveling from Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. — has drawn suspicions.[the Mosque was also recently burglarized, and has been defaced with anti-Muslim graffiti]
City spokesman O.C. Garza told the New York Times that the feds are working faster than usual with local law enforcement to get answers, "given the nature of this fire and what was burned."

On Sunday, hundreds met in font of the torched mosque for an interfaith prayer rally. Instead of dwelling on the cause, community members spoke on how the incident further strengthens the town's support system.

“Whether this was a kitchen fire, short circuit or a psychopath, the result of the spark is not what stands behind me,” said Gary Branfman, a member of B'nai Israel, according to the Victoria Advocate. “It’s what stands before me.”