Quebec provincial police Sgt. Christine\u00a0Coulombe said the men who were killed\u00a0ranged\u00a0in age from\u00a035 to 70.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five people remained\u00a0in critical condition in hospital, including three who are in intensive care, on Monday morning. Another 13 people have been released, according to a hospital spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Thirty-nine people escaped the mosque\u00a0without injuries.<\/p>\n
An act of terrorism<\/h2>\n
While police aren’t yet calling this an act of terrorism, Couillard\u00a0said the shooting should be treated\u00a0as such.<\/p>\n
“It’s a\u00a0murderous act directed at a specific community,” he said at\u00a0a news conference.<\/p>\n
“I think the majority of citizens, not just in Quebec but elsewhere, would describe it that way.”<\/p>\n
Couillard\u00a0also shared a message of solidarity with Quebec’s Muslim community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We are with you. You are at home. And you are welcome at home,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard speaks to Muslim community<\/strong>0:17<\/p>\n Prime Minister Justin\u00a0Trudeau\u00a0described the shooting as a “terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge.”<\/p>\n “Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country,” said\u00a0Trudeau\u00a0in a statement.<\/p>\n Police say prayers were underway at the mosque when the shooting began\u00a0just before 8 p.m.<\/p>\n Men were praying on the ground floor of the building, while women and children were upstairs.<\/p>\n Quebec City police said they are working with the RCMP and the Quebec provincial police following the shooting at a Quebec City mosque that left six people dead and eight wounded. (Mathieu Belanger\/Reuters)<\/p>\n Quebec City Police deployed 2,000 officers once they realized the magnitude of the event, said Insp. Denis Turcotte.<\/p>\n Some of the wounded were in critical condition. <\/p>\n By 10:40 p.m., police said the situation was under control.\u00a0<\/p>\n “The building is secure and the occupants evacuated. The investigation continues,” tweeted Quebec City police, who\u00a0are working with the\u00a0RCMP\u00a0and provincial police.<\/p>\n Police patrolled the perimeter near the mosque after the shooting. (Mathieu Belanger\/Reuters)<\/p>\n One of the two men was arrested not far from the scene of the shooting, while the other was arrested\u00a0near\u00a0l’\u00eele\u00a0d’Orl\u00e9ans, five kilometres from downtown Quebec City, following a police chase of the SUV he was driving. \u00a0<\/p>\n Radio-Canada\u00a0reported\u00a0a\u00a0gun was found inside the SUV.<\/p>\n A\u00a0source close to the investigation told Radio-Canada police are investigating whether the two men attended Laval\u00a0University, also in Quebec City.<\/p>\n Executive vice rector\u00a0\u00c9ric\u00a0Bauce\u00a0would not confirm the link between the school and the assailants, saying police have not informed them of any connection.<\/p>\n Police say patrols have been stepped up at the university as well as at mosques in Quebec City and elsewhere in Quebec.<\/p>\n Police have erected perimeters and road blocks in other areas of Quebec City\u00a0as part of their investigation. A search is also underway at a home in\u00a0Sainte-Foy.<\/p>\n A witness\u00a0who asked to remain anonymous\u00a0told Radio-Canada\u00a0that two masked individuals entered the mosque.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It seemed to me that they had a Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot, they\u00a0yelled, ‘Allahu akbar!’ The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head.<\/p>\n “There were even kids. There was even a three-year-old who was with his father,” the witness said.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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. (Canadian Press)<\/p>\n Quebec City Mayor R\u00e9gis Labeaume\u00a0fought back tears, saying the city is in mourning.\u00a0<\/p>\n “To the Muslim community, our neighbours, our co-citizens, who count on our support and solidarity, I want to say, ‘We love you,'” said Labeaume.\u00a0<\/p>\n People outside the mosque paid their respects. Martin St. Louis holds a sign that reads, ‘La paix non la guerre,’ which means ‘peace, not war.’ (Francis Vachon\/Canadian Press)<\/p>\nAttack on the ground floor<\/h2>\n
![\"CANADA-MOSQUE\/SHOOTING\"](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c66ee_canada-mosque-shooting.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\nConnection to Laval University?<\/h2>\n
‘A Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois accent’<\/h2>\n
![\"Canadian](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c66ee_canadian-press-map.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCall\u00a0for solidarity with Muslims<\/h2>\n
![\"Quebec](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c66ee_quebec-mosque-shooting-20170129.jpg\")
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![\"Officer](\"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/c66ee_officer-quebec-city-mosque-shooting.jpg\")
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