Suspected shooter in Quebec mosque attack charged

The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered a message of solidarity to all Muslims in Canada, following the Quebec mosque attack.

Speaking in parliament Mr Trudeau said the victims were targeted simply because of their religion.

He spoke directly to the one 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 attended a vigil outside the mosque on Monday night.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has visited the scene of the Quebec mosque attack, which left six people dead.

Mr Trudeau joined a march to honour the victims of the shooting which took place on Sunday night.

Trudeau earlier called the attack an act of terrorism against Muslims, saying they were targeted simply because of their religion.

The Eiffel Tower went dark on Monday night in honour of the victims of a shooting at a Quebec City mosque.

Canadian authorities have charged attack suspect Alexandre Bissonnette with six counts of first-degree murder.

Bissonnette has also been charged with five counts of attempted murder in the shooting at the mosque late on Sunday that left six people dead.

The sole suspect in the Quebec mosque attack has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder, court documents say.

Alexandre Bissonnette, a French-Canadian national, is accused of opening fire on the Quebec City mosque during evening prayers, killing six men and injuring 18 others.

Bissonnette also has been charged with five counts of attempted murder in the shooting which took place on Sunday evening.

• Video report by ITV News correspondent Geraint Vincent

There were around 50 worshippers inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre observing evening prayers when a gunman opened fire.

Last summer, during the period of Ramadan, a pig's head was left on the doorstep of the mosque.

The government have called it a terror attack but police say they are still establishing a motive.

Only one of the two men arrested in connection with the Quebec mosque shooting is considered a suspect, police have said.

Mohamed el Khadir is now considered a witness and not a suspect of the shooting which killed six men.

The sole suspect is French-Canadian student Alexandre Bissonnette, a source told Reuters.

Court officials have confirmed the identities of the suspects in the Canadian mosque attack as Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed el Khadir.

Bissonnette is believed to be French-Canadian and el Khadir is said to be of Moroccon heritage.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to travel to Quebec City in the wake of the mosque shooting that killed six men, his spokesman said.

The PM is due to address parliament before visiting the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre.

"We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge," Trudeau said in a statement following the attack.

The attack came after Trudeau said Canada would welcome refugees that were blocked from the US after Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 90-ban on seven Muslim-majority nations.

Suspects detained in connection with the Quebec mosque shooting have been identified as Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed Khadir, a source told CBC News.

French-Canadian Bissonnette and Khadir, of Moroccan heritage, are said to be in their late 20s or early 30s.

At least one suspect is a student at the Laval University near the mosque, the source said.

Six men, aged 35 to 70, are said to have died in the attack and five more are in a critical condition, police Sergeant Christine Coulombe said.

A hospital spokesman said 13 people had been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

Quebec's Premier has delivered a heartfelt message to the province's Muslims in a speech following the mosque shooting last night.

"I want to say a few words to our fellow Quebecers, Muslim Quebecers - we are with you, this is your home, you are welcome here, we are all Quebecers," said Premier Philippe Couillard this morning.

"The first duty of our society is to establish security, safety of the people, which we are doing with the police forces at all levels ... We also have to keep repeating that we must maintain solidarity and unity between our communities."

He urged citizens to 'be there to indicate solidarity' at rallies on Monday to pay tribute to those affected by the attack.

Six people were killed and eight injured in the shooting at a Quebec City mosque in what both Couillard and Canada's prime minister have called an "act of terrorism".