Quebec Mosque Attack Update: 6 Dead, Suspect Arrested

At least six people have been reportedly killed and eight injured in a shooting that took place inside a mosque at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City, Canada, on Jan. 29, 2017. (Pictured) A police officer stands guard at the center. 

Police were investigating a single suspect in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque that killed six people, with a second person who was arrested now considered a witness, authorities said on Monday.

The sole suspect in the attack on Sunday evening prayers was Alexandre Bissonnette, a French-Canadian university student, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The man now considered a witness was of Moroccan descent although his nationality was not immediately known, the source said. He was named by media as Mohamed Khadir or Mohammed Belkhadir by media.

Police declined to give details of those arrested or possible motives for the shooting at the mosque, the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.

Alberta | GardaWorld offering $100,000 for info on theft

The Canadian Press
Security company GardaWorld is offering $100,000 to anyone with information about the latest in a string of attacks against its agents in Quebec.

Two masked men tied up two GardaWorld employees Thursday night at a Royal Bank of Canada branch in Montreal and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Thursday’s theft was the fifth time in the past several months that Garda employees had been targeted while collecting money from financial institutions in the Montreal area.

In December thieves stole a Garda armoured vehicle parked outside a bank in Montreal while agents were inside the branch.

Earlier in 2014 a Garda agent shot and killed a suspect on Montreal’s South Shore as he allegedly tried to steal money from a Garda vehicle.

Quebec Town Terrasse-Vaudreuil Perplexed By ISIS Cyberattack

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, The Canadian Press
A small Quebec town is wondering why it found itself the target of an Islamic extremist group's cyberattack after the municipality's website was compromised for about a dozen hours.

The home page for Terrasse-Vaudreuil, a municipality of about 2,000 residents just west of Montreal, was hacked Thursday evening by a group calling itself MECA, the Middle East Cyber Army.

The web page displayed a message praising Islam and made reference to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris earlier this month.

Experts said there have been hundreds of cyberattacks in recent days, targeting sites that have vulnerable security.

News anchor Jim Clancy leaves CNN after 34 years following abusive Twitter exchange with Pro-Israel activists

CNN anchor Jim Clancy has left the network one week after a bizarre exchange with pro-Israel activists on Twitter about the terrorist outrages in Paris, in which he derided his opponents as the “hasbara team” and used a derogatory term for disabled people.

The news was broken by industry publication Adweek, which linked to The Algemeiner‘s extensive reporting of the scandal, noting that Clancy’s departure “comes just days after the veteran journalist had an extended debate via Twitter over the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.”

CNN, however, made no mention of the scandal as it paid tribute to Clancy’s 34 years of service with the channel. “Jim Clancy is no longer with CNN. We thank him for more than three decades of distinguished service, and wish him nothing but the best,” a CNN spokesperson said.

Pope Francis Charlie Hebdo paris attack: there are limits to freedom of expression

On a plane from Sri Lanka to the Philippines today, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis talked about the recent Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. While defending freedom of expression saying its a fundamental human right, he also said ‘you cannot insult the faith of others’

"One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity...in freedom of expression there are limits.”

He gestured to a friend and said “If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.

Victims of Charlie Hebdo Paris attacks laid to rest

French President Francois Hollande has pledged that his country will “never yield” to “terror” while honouring three police officers killed during the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper, Al Jazeera reports.

He pinned France’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honour, on coffins draped in flag of France in Paris on Tuesday as the Marseillaise anthem rang out.

“Our great and beautiful France will never break, will never yield, never bend” in the face of the threat that is “still there, inside and outside” the country, Hollande said.

Seventeen people, including journalists and police officers, died in the assault on Charlie Hebdo staff on Wednesday and in a bloody hostage situation at a Jewish supermarket two days later.

France government to deploy troops in schools, others

Confronting a nation in shock from last week’s terrorist attacks, the French authorities on Monday began to unveil a broad array of measures to send thousands of soldiers and police officers to guard Jewish schools and other sites, reinforce electronic surveillance and reach into schools and prisons that have a reputation as crucibles of jihadist recruitment, The New York Times reports.

The display of muscle by a government likely to face mounting questions about its failure to prevent the killings recalled the mood in the United States after the September 11 attacks, when the authorities embarked on a broad front of measures to tighten security and provide legislation for more intrusive surveillance.

The French response played into an emerging and potentially divisive debate across Europe that pits civil liberties campaigners against the demands of security officials who cite the attacks as evidence of an urgent need to introduce stronger powers to monitor suspects. And it comes as a time when the United States is engaged in intense soul-searching, touched off in part by the release of a searing Senate report on the torture of terrorism suspects, over whether it turned itself into a garrison state after September 11, 2001.

More than 3,700 homes destroyed in Nigeria by BokoHaram attack

Amnesty International has released satellite images from the January 2nd and 7th Boko Haram attack in Baga Borno state. Early reports put the death toll from the attack at 2000 but that has been disputed by the Nigerian military who put the death toll at 150.

According to a report carried out by AI's Nigeria researcher, Daniel Eyre, about 3,700 homes in two villages, Baga and Doron Baga were destroyed by the militants. The report claims that of all the Boko Haram attacks, the one carried out in Baga last week is so far the deadliest.

World silence on BokoHaram attack: Madonna speaks out for Nigeria

Music icon Madonna has joined the many US celebs speaking out for Nigeria. She shared this on instagram

Al-Qaida leader claims responsibility for attack on Paris in video message

In this April 23, 2013 file photo, a suspected Yemeni al-Qaida militant, center, holds an Islamist banner as he stands behind bars during a court hearing in state security court. CP

Maggie Michael, The Associated Press 

Yemen's al-Qaida branch on Wednesday claimed responsibility for last week's deadly attack on a Paris satirical newspaper, with one of its top commanders saying the assault was in revenge for the weekly's publications of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, considered an insult in Islam.

The claim came in a video posting by Nasr al-Ansi, a top commander of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP as the branch is known, which appeared on the group's Twitter account.

In the 11-minute video, al-Ansi says the assault on Charlie Hebdo, which killed 12 people — including editors, cartoonists and journalists, as well as two police officers — was in "revenge for the prophet."

He said AQAP "chose the target, laid out the plan and financed the operation" against the weekly, though he produced no evidence to support the claim.

Government Of Tanzania Ban Witchdoctors Over Albino Attack

Tanzania has banned witchdoctors in the country and anyone practising it will be arrested. The ban became very mandatory when witchdoctors believe albinos bring good luck to people when killed and used for rituals, which has seen about 70 albino die in the last three years in the country.

The Tanzanian Albinism Society (TAS) has welcomed the ban, saying they have more than 33,000 members and they don’t know who the next victim would be. I think it’s a welcome idea too, very wicked people.

Paris Attack! Latest Issue of Charlie Hebdo Magazine Sold Out

The latest issue of controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has reportedly sold out within minutes of hitting newsstands on Wednesday.

As a result, the publisher of the magazine has decided to print 2 million additional copies, Guardian UK reports. You will recall that the initial plan was to print 3 million copies but due to the overwhelming demand, the planned print run has increased to 5 million in total.

Large queues were seen at magazine kiosks all around France following the release of the publication.

Prior to the terror attacks, the magazine reportedly had a circulation of 60,000.

Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal/AP

Photo of the Week: Vigil For Charlie Hebdo Victims

People hold a vigil at the Place de la Republique for victims of the terrorist attack  in Paris, France. 

Charlie Hebdo! Police Chief In Charge Of Paris Attacks Commits Suicide

A French police commissioner has reportedly taken his own life after meeting the relatives of a victim murdered in the Charlie Hebdo massacre last Wednesday.

Helric Fredou, 45, shot himself in his office with his police-issue gun on Wednesday night in Limoges, a city in central France, according to France 3.

Toronto rally planned to honour victims of French attacks

Hundreds gathered on the steps of Vancouver Art Gallery on Wednesday evening to show solidarity for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.

Torstar News Service
A downtown Toronto rally is planned for Sunday afternoon in support of the victims in the French terrorist attacks.

Hundreds are expected to gather at Nathan Phillips Square at 2 p.m. in a demonstration of support for free speech after 17 people were killed and several others were injured in the massacre at the offices of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo and the events that followed.

Two minutes of silence will be observed for those killed, according to the event page on Facebook.

Canadian cartoonists praise the free speech provocateurs of Charlie Hebdo

An illustrative drawing referencing the Charlie Hebdo by cartoonist Michel de Adder.

Jessica Smith Cross Metro
“I thought, ‘Oh jeez, it’s finally happened.’”

Wes Tyrell had gotten a late start in his studio when he began receiving messages and calls from friends in the cartoonist community about the massacre at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Tyrell, a cartoonist for Yahoo News and the head of the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists, has long been a fan of Charlie Hebdo — not of every cartoon, he makes sure to point out, but of its provocative style and especially the courage of its staff to stand up to violence.

The offices of Charlie Hebdo were firebombed in 2011—the day after publishing a cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad — and the staff was put under police protection. “I can’t say I’m shocked, I’m very disappointed,” he said.

Atlast! French terrorists killed in twin hostage standoffs in Paris

Brothers Cherif (inset top left) and Said Kouachi (inset bottom left), who attacked & killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday Jan. 7th have been killed by French police in a bloody standoff.

A third guy, Amedy Coulibaly (inset right), who was working with the brothers and killed a female police officer, was also killed by French police. Amedy is reported to have killed four people at the kosher grocery store (right) where he had been hiding with his girlfriend who was not caught. Full story after the cut...

War Against Extremism As Canadian CF-18 Strikes ISIS Base

A Canadian Forces CF-18 from 400 squadron touches down in Kuwait.

Murray Brewster The Canadian Press
Canada is at war with the Islamic State and will do what is necessary to eliminate the threat it poses, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.

His comments came as the military revealed that CF-18s have carried out another seven attacks in Iraq over the last couple of weeks.

A decision to extend the air mission, which is due to end in April, has not been made, but prime minister said when the time comes one of the criteria will be “the kind of risk it poses to our country.”

And Harper said the risk is significant.

Cartoonists around the world draw for slain Charlie Hebdo colleagues

A cartoon hangs outside the French embassy in Buenos Aires. AP

John Leicester The Associated PressAs if to prove that pens are mightier than swords, cartoonists around the world reacted to the cold-bloodied assassination of their colleagues at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as only they can: with powerful drawings worth thousands of words.

Defiant, angry, poignant, irreverent and sobering, their drawings united cartoonists in grief, tried to make sense of the nonsensical, and sent a shared message: We must not, will not and should not be silenced. Some drawings touched such a nerve they made one want to both laugh and cry.

“Can’t sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones,” David Pope, cartoonist for The Canberra Times in Australia, wrote on his Twitter feed.

Meet the Kouachi brothers who killed 12 people in Paris massacre

Brothers Cherif Kouachi (left), 32, & Said Kouachi (right), 34, both from Paris, have been identified as the men who stormed into the office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo yesterday and killed 12 people, including two police officers. A third suspect, 18 year old Hamyd Mourad, who didn't fire any shorts, surrendered to police late last night after seeing his name circulating on social media. The two brothers, who are said to have been trained in Yemen as assassins, are still at large.