Quebec Shooting Suspect Visited Mosque Days Before Attack: Report

According to Canadian media, the suspect spoke to a worshipper.

ByABC News
February 2, 2017, 1:42 AM

— -- The suspect in Sunday's Quebec City mosque shooting visited the house of worship three days before his deadly attack on worshipers, reports Canada's CTV News.

According to worshiper Houssine el Manoug, shooting suspect Alexandre Bissonnette entered the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre wearing a long black coat and carrying a backpack last Thursday, three days before he stormed into the center and opened fire during evening prayers, killing six people.

El Manoug then briefly interacted with Bissonnette. "When I wanted to get out of the mosque I said, 'salem,' which means hello in our language. And he answered 'salut,'" Manoug told CTV News, an ABC News partner. "And then he started talking about something else. He told me, 'I love kabab and shisha.'"

El Manoug said Bissonnette also asked him for money before he left the center.

After hearing about the attack on Sunday, El Manoug said he searched Bissonnette’s name online and immediately recognized him. "I found the picture of the guy. It was the same one," El Manoug said.

PHOTO: An exterior view of the The Quebec Mosque where two gunmen opened fire during evening prayers, on Jan. 30, 2017, killing six people and injuring eight others, at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, Jan. 29, 2017.
An exterior view of the The Quebec Mosque where two gunmen opened fire during evening prayers, on Jan. 30, 2017, killing six people and injuring eight others, at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, Jan. 29, 2017. According to the police, six people were killed and another eight were wounded in a shooting at a Mosque during evening prayers, on Jan. 29, 2017. Two suspects have been taken into custody. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the incident as a "terrorist attack on Muslims," media reported quoting his statement.

Bissonnette, 27, has been charged with six counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

The university student's motive remains unclear, police said.