Canadian pleads guilty to 2017 Quebec mosque shooting

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A 28-year-old Canadian man accused of a deadly mass shooting at a Quebec mosque last year, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, reversing an earlier plea, and apologized to the families of his victims in court.

Alexandre Bissonnette, whom police described as a “lone wolf” attacker, killed six people and injured over 30 when he went on a rampage at the end of Sunday prayers at Quebec City's Islamic Cultural Center on January 29, 2017.

It was a rare mass shooting for Canada, a country that prides itself for its multicultural society, and was one of the worst attacks on an Islamic place of worship in the West.

Prosecutor Thomas Jacques (R) leaves after the hearing of Alexandre Bissonnette, a suspect in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque, at the court house in Quebec City, February 21, 2017. /VCG Photo

After earlier pleading not guilty, Bissonnette on Wednesday reversed his position.

"I've decided to plead guilty to all of the charges ... in order to prevent the families of the victims from having to relive" the attack, he told the court in Quebec City, where he appeared handcuffed and wearing leg irons.

The judge declared him guilty on six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder.

Bissonnette could now face a life sentence, or a minimum of 25 years in prison. Sentencing arguments begin on April 10.

A university student at the time of the shooting, he was described after his arrest as a white supremacist opposed to Muslim immigration, but not affiliated with any group.

People visit a makeshift memorial near a mosque that was the location of a shooting spree in Quebec City, Quebec on February 1, 2017. /VCG Photo

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also described the shooting initially as a terrorist attack, although prosecutors did not charge Bissonnette with terrorism.

In court on Wednesday, Bissonnette said: “I am not a terrorist, I am not an Islamophobe.” “I am ashamed of what I did,” he added.

He offered an apology to families and friends of the victims and to survivors present in the courtoom, but added, "I know my actions are unforgivable."

The president of the mosque, Boufeldja Benabdallah, expressed relief.

"We are satisfied with the verdict," he said outside the courtroom. "The evil is done," he added. "It will be up to the families to decide whether to forgive him."

(Top picture: Undated selfie portrait sourced from social media showing Alexandre Bissonnette. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters