Facebook(QUEBEC CITY) — 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.
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.
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