Quebec City Police now say they have released one of the two suspects arrested in yesterday’s deadly mosque shooting, deeming him a witness, not a suspect. The shooting is being investigated as a “lone wolf”-style terrorist attack on Quebec City’s Muslim community.
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The shooting stunned Quebec City, a relatively nonviolent city that reported just two murders in all of 2015. Canada has a Muslim population of over one million; they make up over 3% of the population.
Police have retained Alexandre Bissonnette, a white French Canadian man, in custody. He was arrested after a short chase with police, and authorities found a weapon in his car after his arrest.
Bissonnette was reportedly a student at Laval University near Quebec. He walked into the
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the attack a terrorist attack, and Donald Trump has called Trudeau to offer his condolences.
The mosque had is no stranger to intimidation and hate. Last year, a severed pig head was left on the doorstep of the building.