Quebec City mosque attack suspect Alexandre Bissonnette charged with 6 counts of 1st-degree murder
Alexandre Bissonnette, the man police believe opened fire on a Quebec City mosque, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder while using a restricted firearm.
Bissonnette appeared in Quebec City court on Monday around 6 p.m. ET. His next court appearance is set for Feb. 21.
Security at courthouse is very intense. A Quebec City court beat reporter says this is exceptional. Metal detector to get into courtroom.
This screengrab from the suspect’s Facebook page, taken before it went offline, shows Alexandre Bissonnette as a child wearing his cadet uniform. (Facebook)
According to his Facebook page, which has since been taken down, Bissonnette is from the Quebec City suburb of Cap-Rouge.
His profile also shows he studied anthropology and political science at Laval University and was a cadet as a child.
Laval University confirmed Monday afternoon that Bissonnette was a student in the social sciences faculty. In a statement, the university said effective immediately, he is barred from all activities at the school until all judicial proceedings are over.
The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m. ET Sunday, less than three kilometres away from Laval’s campus, during evening prayers at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec.
Six men were killed.
Five people remain in hospital with injuries. Two will need more surgery, while the other three are stable and may be discharged soon. Another 13 people with minor injuries have been released, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Only 1 suspected shooter
Two men were arrested Sunday night following the shooting. Shortly after noon Monday, the Quebec provincial police said only one of the men is a suspect in the attack. The second man is now considered a witness.
La SQ confirme qu’un seul des individus arrêté hier soir en lien avec l’#attentat de #Québec est considéré comme suspect.
One of the men was arrested at the mosque within minutes of the attack. Police say a second man called 911 after the shooting, indicating that he wanted to co-operate in the investigation.
Quebec City police Insp. Denis Turcotte said the man parked about five kilometres from the scene of the shooting, near the bridge to Île d’Orléans, and waited for officers to arrest him.
“He was armed and spoke to us about his acts,” said Turcotte.
‘Pain and anger’
As Bissonnette’s name began to circulate online, one Facebook group dedicated to welcoming refugees in the Quebec City area expressed “pain and anger” over the news.
The suspect was “unfortunately known to several activists in Quebec City for his pro-Le Pen and anti-feminist positions at Laval University and on social networks,” wrote the Bienvenue aux réfugié.es – Ville de Québec Facebook group.
Bissonnette’s Facebook page seemed to confirm those political leanings.
The suspect followed several profiles that espouse right-wing ideologies, including that of Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader of France’s National Front.
A woman who identified herself as a neighbour of Bissonnette’s parents in Cap-Rouge said the suspect had recently moved into an apartment that he was renting with his twin brother, not far from the mosque where the shooting occurred.
“He is a child,” she said. “You couldn’t find one more calm than that. He never did anything, he always kept to himself. We never heard of anything.”
“I saw him last Wednesday; he was arriving at his parents’ home. I think he often went there,” the neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, told Radio-Canada.
Bissonnette is believed to have studied anthropology and political science at Laval University. (Photo from Facebook)
A search was conducted at the home of Bissonnette’s parents on du Tracel Street in Cap-Rouge, as well as at a residence on des Quatre-Bourgeois Road, closer to the mosque.
The investigation into the attack, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a “despicable act of terror,” continues.
Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-mosque-attack-alexandre-bissonnette-1.3958559?cmp=rss