Canadian police detain prime suspect in fatal Quebec mosque attack

One of the two persons earlier detained by Canadian police in connection with the deadly Quebec mosque attack which claimed six lives and injured several others has been identified as the prime suspect of the attack.

Police say the second man, who was initially reported as a second suspect, was now considered a witness, in the attack which has prompted Muslim leaders to call for greater protection of their community after the shooting incident.

According to the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui, the armed men stormed the mosque opening fire at 8pm local time (01:00 GMT) taking aim on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center on Sunday.

Read also: 5 dead as gunmen open fire on Muslim worshippers in Canada

The attack shocked people across Canada and sent ripples through the country’s Muslim community.

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, condemned the shooting as a “terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge”.

“To the more than one million Canadians who profess the Muslim faith, I want to say directly: We are with you. Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours,” Trudeau, who was expected to head to Quebec City later on Monday, said in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

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