6 counts of murder for Quebec mosque attack suspect

QUEBEC CITY -- A French Canadian known for far-right, nationalist views was charged Monday with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder over the shooting rampage at a Quebec City mosque that Canada's prime minister called an act of terrorism against Muslims.

Suspect Alexandre Bissonnette made a brief court appearance and did not enter a plea in the attack that left six people dead during evening prayers Sunday.

Wearing a white prisoner jumpsuit, his hands and feet shackled, he stared down at the floor and fidgeted but did not speak.

The 27-year-old suspect, who has espoused support for the French far-right party of Marine Le Pen and liked U.S. President Donald Trump on his Facebook page, was known to those who monitor extremist groups in Quebec, said François Deschamps, an official with a refugee advocacy group.

"It's with pain and anger that we learn the identity of terrorist Alexandre Bissonnette, unfortunately known to many activists in Quebec for taking nationalist, pro-Le Pen and anti-feminist positions at Laval University and on social media," Deschamps wrote on the Facebook page of the group, Bienvenues aux Refugies, or Welcome to Refugees.

An anthropology and political science major at Laval University in Quebec City, Bissonnette also had expressed support on his Facebook profile for "Generation Nationale," a group whose manifesto includes the rejection of "multiculturalism."

More than 50 people were at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when the shooting erupted.

In addition to the six dead, 19 people were wounded -- all men.

Of the five victims who remained hospitalized, two were in critical condition, authorities said.

The dead ranged in age from 39 to 60.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard characterized the attack as a terrorist act, which came amid heightened tensions worldwide over Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim countries.

Le Pen, leader of the National Front in France, is known for her anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant positions and has won the endorsement and admiration of white supremacists.

Canada generally is welcoming toward immigrants and all religions, but the French-speaking province of Quebec has had a long-simmering debate about race and religious accommodation.

The previous separatist government of the province called for a ban on ostentatious religious symbols, such as the hijab, in public institutions.

Trudeau said in Parliament the victims were targeted because of their religion, and he spoke directly to the more than 1 million Muslims who live in Canada, saying, "We are with you."

"Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours," Trudeau said. "Know that we value you."

The prime minister later attended a vigil outside the mosque.

The suspect was arrested in his car on a bridge near d'Orleans, where he called 911 to say he wanted to cooperate with police.

Authorities, who initially named two suspects, said the other man taken into custody was a witness to the attack and was released earlier Monday.

They said they did not believe there were other suspects but were investigating.

Police did not give a motive for the attack.

Trump called Trudeau to express condolences to the Canadian people and to offer any assistance that might be needed.

The White House pointed to the attack as an example of why Trump's policies were needed.

The victims were businessmen, a university professor and others who had gathered for evening prayers, said Mohamed Labidi, the vice president of the mosque.

"It's a very, very big tragedy for us," Labidi said tearfully. "We have a sadness we cannot express."

He said the victims were shot in the back.

"Security at our mosque was our major, major concern," he said. "But we were caught off guard."

The shooting took place just before 8 p.m. Sunday.

Witnesses described chaos as worshippers scrambled to find friends and loved ones while police responding to the scene called for backup.

Couillard said he would "not go there" when asked whether he blamed recent rhetoric in in the U.S. for the attack.

"Quebec is a good, generally loving society, but we have these devils as other societies have. We have to recognize that and fight them," Couillard said at a news conference in Quebec City at which he and Muslim leaders held hands in a display of solidarity.

"The Muslim community was the target of this murderous attack," Couillard said, adding solidarity rallies would be held across Quebec.

The mosque has been a target of hate crimes in the past, including last summer when a pig's head was left on its doorstep during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Practicing Muslims do not eat pork.

Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume, appearing shaken, said: "No person should have to pay with their life, for their race, their color, their sexual orientation or their religious beliefs."