Thousands of people are at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal to pay respects to three of the victims of Sunday’s shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec.
“This afternoon, the entire country is coming together for the victims, to celebrate the lives of those who were husbands, fathers, friends,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume and politicians from the opposition parties, were also in attendance.
“We feel your pain, we share your pain,” said Couillard. “When one of us suffers, we all do.”
READ MORE: Canadian CEO offers to cover funeral costs for Quebec City mosque shooting victims
The service in Montreal honoured three out of the six victims.
“Our diversity is our strength,” said Coderre.
“We have lost six Quebecers, six Canadians.”
The doors opened at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, with the ceremony starting at 1 p.m.
READ MORE: Alexandre Bissonnette allegedly visited Quebec City mosque days before shooting: source
WATCH BELOW: Remembering the victims of the Quebec mosque shooting
-
![]()
Remembering victims of the Quebec City mosque shooting -
![]()
Mourning the Quebec shooting victims -
![]()
Funerals to be held in Montreal for three victims of Quebec City shooting -
![]()
Witness at the Quebec City Mosque shooting describes the panic at the scene -
![]()
EXTENDED: First-hand look inside Quebec City mosque where deadly shooting took place -
![]()
Laval University reacts to Quebec City mosque shooting -
![]()
Quebec premier calls for unity in wake of mosque shooting -
![]()
Muslim-Canadian woman on battling misconceptions and Islamophobia following the Quebec City shooting
The three victims remembered at the Montreal service are Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, an IT worker for Quebec’s provincial government; Khaled Belkacemi, 60, a professor of soil and agri-food engineering at l’Université Laval and Aboubaker Thabti, 44, a pharmacy worker.
The bodies of the victims being remembered during Thursday’s service will be sent to their native countries of Tunisia and Algeria.
Get daily National news
READ MORE: Quebec City mosque left with blood stains, bullet holes after deadly shooting
Prayers were also said for the other three victims, Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, a grocer and owner of a halal butcher shop; Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, a technician at Lucas Meyer Cosmetics and Ibrahima Barry, 39, an employee of Quebec’s health insurance board.
READ MORE: Hate crimes spike in Montreal after Quebec City mosque shooting
A second service will be held at the Quebec City Convention Centre Friday at 12:30 p.m.
WATCH BELOW: Quebec City mosque shooting
-
![]()
What does mosque shooting mean for Quebec? -
![]()
Quebec City mosque attack suspect faces 6 murder charges -
![]()
Montrealers organize vigil for Quebec City mosque shooting -
![]()
A timeline of the deadly Quebec City mosque shooting -
![]()
Terror attack on Quebec mosque shocks the country -
![]()
Victims of Quebec City mosque shooting remembered during vigil -
![]()
Quebec City mosque shooting -
![]()
Suspected gunman arrives at courthouse in Quebec City
Attack in Quebec City
Sunday night, six people were killed and many others injured, including several children, during a shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec in Sainte-Foy.
READ MORE: Anti-Muslim incidents in Quebec: a timeline
The suspect, Alexandre Bissonnette, faces six charges of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted firearm.
READ MORE: Canadian leaders express outrage and shock at Quebec mosque attack
The centre was also the target of vandalism last summer when a pig’s head was delivered to it during Ramadan.
WATCH: Funeral held for three victims of Quebec mosque shooting. Amanda Jelowicki reports.
Comments