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Timeline of events following the 2017 deadly mosque shooting in Quebec City

Mar 28, 2018 | 10:15 AM

QUEBEC — Timeline of events following the deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017:

Jan. 29, 2017 — A lone man enters the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City during evening prayers and begins shooting, killing six men and wounding 19 others. Police arrest two suspects, but after further investigation say only one — then 27-year-old Alexandre Bissonnette — is a suspect. They say the other person is a witness.

Jan. 30, 2017 — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins vigil in Quebec City. He calls the massacre an act of terrorism and tells the country’s Muslims: “We are with you. Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours.” Bissonnette, a Universite Laval student, appears in court and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon.

Feb. 1, 2017 — The mosque opens its doors to the public — its floor and walls are still splattered with blood from the carnage.

Feb. 2, 2017 — Thousands show up to a Montreal arena for the funeral service of three of the victims — Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, and Aboubaker Thabti, 44.

Feb. 3, 2017 — Thousands of mourners, including Trudeau, pay respects at a Quebec City convention centre for three other victims shot to death — Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Ibrahima Barry, 39, and Azzeddine Soufiane, 57.

Feb. 5, 2017 — Worshippers from the mosque lead hundreds of Quebec City residents on a march to promote unity and tolerance.

April 20, 2017 — A relative of one of the shooting victims pleads guilty to uttering death threats against Bissonnette. Mohamed-Amine Ben-Faras, 33, the nephew of Azzedine Soufiane, told the judge he arrived in Quebec from London and headed to the mosque to try to understand the circumstances surrounding the shooting deaths. He was ordered to leave Canada for three years.

Oct. 2, 2017 — The Crown is granted permission to proceed directly to trial without a preliminary inquiry. They also add a sixth charge of attempted murder with a restricted weapon. The Crown explains the new charge involves people, including four children, who were in close proximity when the attack occurred. The Crown also announces there won’t be any terrorism-related charges.

Jan. 29, 2018 — More than 1,000 people gather to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting.

Jan. 31, 2018 — Bissonnette’s parents, Manon Marchand and Raymond Bissonnette, discuss their son publicly for the first time in a letter sent to Radio-Canada in which they describe the actions of Alexandre as “inexcusable” and “totally inexplicable.” But they also say they stand by their son. “Alexandre is still our son whom we love and who will always be a part of our family. Like all parents, we hoped to see him succeed and be happy in life. In a way, we have also lost a son.”

March 26, 2018 — Bissonnette enters not guilty pleas for 12 charges, including six of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder. He announces in the afternoon he wants to change his pleas to guilty but the judge does not accept them pending a psychiatric assessment of the accused.

March 28, 2018 — The judge accepts the guilty pleas and people burst out sobbing in the courtroom.

 

The Canadian Press