‘A very, very big tragedy for us,’ says Quebec City mosque leader after attack
QUEBEC — The victims of a mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque were fathers, businessmen, a university professor and others who had gathered for evening prayers, a Muslim community leader said Monday as he recalled through tears the horror of the attack that killed six and injured 19 others.
“It’s a very, very big tragedy for us,” said Mohamed Labidi, the vice-president of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec, the mosque where the attack happened Sunday night. “We have a sadness we cannot express.”
Labidi said the victims, all men, were shot in the back as they prayed.
“Security at our mosque was our major, major concern,” he said. “But we were caught off guard.”