5 dead after ‘3 gunmen open fire’ at a Quebec mosque

TIL Desk/World/Quebec-A mosque has been targeted during prayers by three gunmen in Canada leaving five people dead, Quebec Police have confirmed. The mosque president has confirmed five people have been killed in the incident. At least 20 emergency services vehicles are at the scene in Quebec city as authorities investigate the incident amid fears of multiple victims.

Mosque president Mohamed Yangui said: “Why is this happening here? This is barbaric. A witness claimed there were about 40 people inside the mosque at the time of the shooting. Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in the city in recent years amid a political debate over banning the niqab, or Muslim face covering.

In June last year, a pig’s head was left on the doorstep of the Islamic cultural center. In 2015, a mosque in the neighboring province of Ontario was set on fire, just hours after the terrorist attacks in Paris.