Mathieu Belanger / Reuters
At least six people were killed and eight wounded Sunday when gunmen opened fire during evening prayers in a Quebec City mosque. Two suspects were reportedly in custody. The mosque's president, Mohamed Yangui, said he feared children may have been among the victims. “Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” he was cited as saying by Reuters. A witness was cited saying up to three gunmen were involved in the attack on the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences to the victims of the attack on Twitter. “Tonight, Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families,” he wrote. Authorities in New York increased police patrols of mosques in response to the attack. “NYPD is providing additional protection for mosques in the city. All New Yorkers should be vigilant,” New York City Mayor Bill Blasio announced on Twitter.
Editor’s note: This piece originally stated that Reuters reported the names of the assailants. However, the information came from a Reuters parody social-media account. We regret the error and have deleted the information.