Quebec City mosque killer Alexandre Bissonnette says Justin Trudeau welcoming refugees was ‘last straw’
He is awaiting his sentencing after pleading guilty to killing six people last year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The man who killed six people in a Quebec City mosque last year was triggered to carry out the shooting when Canada announced it would continue to welcome refugees after US President Donald Trump implemented his travel ban in 2017.
Alexandre Bissonnette, who has pleaded guilty to the January 2017 attack, told police during interrogation that had first started thinking about a potential attack following the 2014 attack on Parliament Hill, and that it became an obsession after the Nice, France attack in 2016 that left 86 dead.
The final straw, he told interrogators, came on January 29, 2017, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a defiant message shortly after Mr Trump’s administration announced the travel ban, according to The Globe and Mail.
“To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada,” Mr Trudeau tweeted.
That was too much for Bissonnette.
“I was watching TV and I learned that the Canadian government was going to take more refugees, you know, who couldn’t go to the United States, and they were coming here,” Bissonnette told interrogators. “I saw that and I like lost my mind. I don’t want us to become like Europe I don’t want them to kill my parents, my family.”
“I had ot do something, I couldn’t do nothing,” he continued. “It was something that tortured me.”
After watching those television reports, Bissonnette went to the Grand Mosque of Quebec City where close to 60 worshippers were finishing up evening prayers. He killed six people and left many more injured in the mosque, firing 48 rounds in a three-minute spree.
A video of the police interviewing Bissonnette was played as a part of his sentencing hearing.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments