Justin Trudeau spoke with his counterpart in New Zealand on Saturday, offering his condolences for the 50 people killed and dozens injured following Friday’s shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.
The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau told Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that Canada shares New Zealand’s feelings of grief and loss, recalling the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting.
One man has been arrested and charged with murder in what appears to have been a carefully planned racist attack in New Zealand.
There are unconfirmed reports that the shooter was influenced by Alexandre Bissonnette, the shooter convicted of six counts of first-degree murder in the Quebec attack.
A now-deleted Twitter account believed to be linked to the accused Christchurch shooter appeared to show three assault-rifle magazines, one of which has Bissonnette’s name on it.
Trudeau’s office says he offered Canada’s support and the leaders agreed to stay in touch and “work together on their shared priority of ensuring safe, secure and open societies.”
Trudeau is set to visit an Ottawa-area mosque today in the wake of the attacks in New Zealand.