Six people were killed and eight injured after gunmen open fired at a mosque during evening prayers in Canada's Quebec city on Sunday.
"Six people are confirmed dead - they range in age from 35 to about 70," Quebec provincial police spokeswoman Christine Coulombe told reporters, adding eight people were wounded and 39 were unharmed.
The mosque's president, Mohamed Yangui, who was not inside when the shooting occurred, said he got frantic calls from people at evening prayers.
"Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: "We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge".
“Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country."
Canadian Prime Minister described the attack as a cowardly act and extended condolence to the victims.
Two suspects have been arrested. Police put up a security perimeter around the mosque and declined to comment to reporters about the incident.
Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre President Mohamed Yangui reported the number of dead late Sunday in a telephone call from the provincial capital. Yangui said the shooting happened in the men’s section of the mosque.
He said five males had died and he worried that some were children. He said he wasn’t at the center when the attack occurred but he got some details from people on the scene. He said an estimated 60-100 people would have been there at the time of the shooting. “We are sad for the families,” he said.
Earlier, a witness told news agency Reuters that up to three gunmen fired on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center.
The centre's Facebook page posted video of police outside the scene, with a written comment that there are "some dead".
The director of the centre said at least five people were killed, but that information has not been confirmed by police.
