Joe Biden leaving the stage in Davos, Switzerland, after his final major speech in office. AP
DAVOS, Switzerland — Vice President Joe Biden entered office in 2009 urging a "reset" and cooperation between the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia.
He is set to leave it stressing a different approach — one in which Europe and the US stand together to denounce what he framed as fundamentally different visions between the West and Russia over the future of the world order.
"Russia is working with every tool available to them to whittle away at the edges of the European project, test for fault lines among Western nations, and return to a politics defined by spheres of influence," Biden said at the World Economic Forum, during his final major speech in his official capacity.
With US President-elect Donald Trump set to be inaugurated Friday, the mood among the world's economic elite is one of uncertainty and concern. Biden's final message was delivered with them in mind.
He warned of a continued clash over Western ideals, implicitly rejected platforms laid out by Trump and figures like him, and stressed the importance of NATO in the face of Russian aggression.
"I'm here today to issue a call to action: We cannot wait for others to write the future they hope to see," he said. "The United States and Europe has to lead the fight to defend the values that have brought us to where we are today."
Biden framed that immediate clash as one between the West and Russia amid US intelligence agencies' conclusions that the Russian government, instructed by President Vladimir Putin and his top allies, meddled in the US presidential election with the goal of boosting Trump.
With coming elections and rising populist parties and figures in France, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe, Biden did not mince words. He cautioned that Russia would try to do so again. He took aim at the country's military incursions in places, including Ukraine, where Biden has traveled frequently as vice president. And he scolded Russia as seeking to impose its will through "military might, corruption, or criminality."
"Their purpose is clear — to collapse the liberal international order," Biden said. "Simply put, Russia has a different vision for the future, which they are pursuing across the board."
He continued: "They seek a return to a world where the strong impose their will through military might, corruption, or criminality — while weaker neighbors fall in line."
And though he opened his speech by saying his suggestion of "uncertainty" in the word was not a reference to the presidential transition process, his speech contained clear allusions to the ideals and visions Trump has espoused. He said globalization was not an "unalloyed good" but warned against protectionism and those who "hunker down, shut the gates, build walls."
And Biden said the NATO alliance was perhaps more important now than ever, a statement that came days after Trump had again called it "obsolete" and argued many of its European nations should contribute more financially.
"The single greatest bulwark for our transatlantic partnership is the unshakable commitment of the United States to all our NATO allies," he said. "An attack on one is an attack on all. That can never be called into question."
Biden's speech ended with something of a metaphor. He was nearly finished with his remarks when the lights onstage abruptly went dark, only his silhouette remaining visible. And though the lights went out on Biden — and as they dim on the Obama administration — the vice president suggested he would remain a voice in the conversation.
"I will continue to use my voice and my power as a citizen, doing whatever I can to keep our transatlantic alliance strong and vibrant, " he said.
"Because our common future depends upon it."
Watch Biden's remarks here:
'An attack on one is an attack on all': Biden issues a 'call to action' to the US and Europe in his final major speech
"We should expect further attempts by Russia to meddle in the democratic process."
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The Russian emergency ministry has released footage showing firefighters saving pigs and piglets from a blaze at a farm in the Siberian region of Tomsk. According to the ministry, when the fire started up to 200 pigs were in the farm. Most of them were saved by firefighters, who carried them in pairs, one under each arm, out of the burning building as they squealed loudly.
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An officer in the cyberintelligence unit of the Russian Federal Security Service and a private cybersecurity analyst were reportedly taken into custody.
Democrats reluctantly accept James Comey at FBI as Russia inquiries expand by Spencer Ackerman in New York
Democratic lawmakers see FBI director, facing political pressure amid justice department investigation, as preferable to anyone Donald Trump might choose
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Continue reading...John McCain says US has no strategy to deal with Russian cyber warfare by Ben Jacobs in Philadelphia
In audio obtained by the Guardian, McCain says ‘it is the one aspect of our confrontation where adversaries are ahead’
John McCain warned that the Trump administration is unprepared to deal with Russian attempts “to influence elections in France and European countries in the coming months”.
In audio obtained by the Guardian of the 2008 presidential nominee speaking at the congressional retreat in Philadelphia, the Arizona senator said “we don’t have a policy and we don’t have a strategy” for Russian cyber warfare. He said “it is the one aspect of our confrontation where I believe our adversaries are ahead of us”, adding “it is a hell of a lot of easier to offense in cyber than defense”.
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The US president wants Britain to take sides and destroy decades of diplomatic and economic goodwill. Don’t expect Theresa May to make the right choice
When I saw the closeup of Donald Trump’s weak orange hand pressed into Theresa May’s cold, white one, I understood what Britain has become. Not so much Little Britain as Lost Britain.
She had gone to Washington to salvage the “special relationship”, weeks after the true special relationship – between Trump and Nigel Farage – was proclaimed. What she found was a man committed to destroying the global order but who may be frightened of stairs.
Continue reading...Deutsche Bank fined $630m over Russia money laundering claims by Agence France-Presse
Authorities in US and UK issue fine after saying bank used offices in Moscow and London to move $10bn out of country
Deutsche Bank has been fined nearly $630m over alleged money laundering in Russia worth $10bn.
New York and British authorities issued the fine on Monday over claims the money was moved out of Russia using so-called mirror trades among the bank’s Moscow, London and New York offices, said New York State’s Department of Financial Services (DFS).
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Министр обороны Южной Кореи Хан Мин Гу провел телефонные переговоры с главой Пентагона Джеймсом Мэттисом, в рамках которых стороны обсудили размещение системы ПРО THAAD в Южной Корее, сообщает агентство "Ренхап". В ходе ...
Газета.Ru - Хроника дня
Газета.Ru - Хроника дня
Президент Сирии Башар Асад, который, по утверждениям негативно настроенных к нему СМИ, якобы находится в критическом состоянии, провел телефонный разговор с президентом Венесуэлы Николасом Мадуро. Асад заявил, что «Сирия и Венесуэла заплатили цену за свой отказ подчиниться диктату Запада», передает ТАСС. Мадуро поздравил Сирию «с важными успехами в войне против террористических организаций, поддерживаемых враждебными Сирии государствами».
Взгляд
На прошлой неделе правительство Сирии уже вынуждено было опровергать сообщения о проблемах со здоровьем Асада.
Слухи о проблемах Асада со здоровьем ходят с конца 2016 года. Тогда появилась фейковая новость, которую разместили на сирийских правительственных ресурсах хакеры, о том, что Асад якобы отравлен. Позднее ее подхватили выступающие против Дамаска СМИ. На этой неделе СМИ заявили, что Асад якобы находится в критическом состоянии и «прикован к постели». Теперь в качестве причины называют уже не яд, а инфаркт или инсульт.
Взгляд
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The once-powerful tycoon is sent to a high security prison in Rio, accused of paying bribes.
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Ben Affleck will still be under the cowl, but not behind the camera.
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MOSCOW — 
Saturday's phone conversation between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has raised the hopes of many Russian politicians for a U.S.-Russian rapprochement. But other observers in Moscow remain more cautious about the prospects for bilateral relations in the Trump era.
According to the White House, the two leaders discussed topics ranging from "cooperation in defeating ISIS [Islamic State]to efforts in working together to achieve more peace throughout the world including Syria," in a phone call that was "a significant start to improving the relationship between the United States and Russia that is in need of repair."
The Kremlin said the two presidents "expressed their readiness to make active joint efforts to stabilize and develop Russia-U.S. cooperation on a constructive, equitable and mutually beneficial basis."
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin reads papers during a meeting in the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 16, 2017.
It also said they discussed the fight against terrorism, the Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict, strategic stability and non-proliferation, Iran's nuclear program, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and "the main aspects of the Ukrainian crisis."
Trump and Putin called for "real coordination of actions" aimed at "defeating ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria," and "stressed the importance of rebuilding mutually beneficial trade and economic ties between the two counties' business communities," the Kremlin reported.
Anti-IS coalition
Following the call, Leonid Slutsky, head of the international affairs committee of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, said he expects Washington and Moscow to forge a joint fight against Islamic State.
"The next step, I am sure, will be negotiations to create a broad anti-terrorist coalition in Syria, the formation of which the Russian president called for in 2015 from the rostrum of the U.N. General Assembly," Slutsky said.
FILE - Traditional Russian wooden dolls depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are displayed for sale at a street souvenir shop in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 20, 2017.
Slutsky also said he believes that references to economic issues in the conversation between Trump and Putin were a "positive signal for investors and, in general, for the prospects of mending relations between our countries."
No word on sanctions
Some Russian parliamentarians suggested the two presidents intentionally — and rightly — avoided discussing sanctions that the United States imposed on Russia for annexing Crimea and backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
"For tactical reasons, it was premature to raise the issue of lifting the sanctions in the first conversation," Mikhail Emelyanov, deputy head of the Just Russia party's faction in the Duma, told the Interfax news agency. "I think that in the process of improving Russian-American relations, in the process solving international problems of mutual interest, the issue of sanctions will be resolved of its own accord."
While it is no surprise that leading Russian politicians spoke approvingly of the Trump-Putin phone conversation, some Russian foreign policy experts say it is premature to make favorable forecasts about the future of U.S.-Russian relations.
"It seems to me that neither Putin nor Trump knows what constitutes the crux of the matter in our relations with America," Viktor Kremeniuk, deputy director of the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, told VOA's Russian service. "The fact that we will necessarily cooperate in the fight against ISIS helps us find some common ground. But, in my opinion, it doesn't go beyond that, neither with the Americans, nor with us.
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Jan. 28, 2017.
"Trump probably wants expand cooperation with Russia," Kremeniuk added. "But I'm not sure that he has a program for such an expansion, and I'm not sure that what he can offer will appeal to Putin."
Thorny issues remain
Thorny issues like the annexation of Crimea and war in eastern Ukraine are unlikely to continue to "color" the U.S.-Russian relationship, he said, adding that he believes the Trump administration is willing to soften the U.S. position on Crimea.
Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center told VOA's Russian service it is no accident the issue of lifting sanctions was not discussed in the two leaders' phone call.
"The conversation took place amid rumors that Trump had already prepared a draft document on lifting the sanctions, and everyone understandably got worked up, because he was showing that he is strictly carrying out his agenda, from a wall with Mexico to anti-immigrant legislation," he said. "But, apparently, it is precisely with this issue — the issue of lifting sanctions against Russia — that something needs to be coordinated with partners from the EU and the U.K. in general, with partners in the Western world."
He added, "Apparently, [British Prime Minister] Theresa May is not thrilled with this idea, and the EU is clearly strongly against it. Perhaps Trump decided to back off a little bit in this matter, although in the Kremlin's press release there is a phrase, very vague, about the importance of establishing mutually beneficial trade and economic ties."
According to the Kremlin, the two presidents agreed to issue instructions to work out the possible date and venue for a face-to-face meeting.
"There was apparently nothing extraordinary in this conversation," Kolesnikov said. "This is called ‘putting a toe in the water.’ If the water is warm, you can move farther in."
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Some of the most sensitive and sacrosanct decisions by the president are made in meetings of the National Security Council. One only has to ask: What precise expertise does Bannon, or any chief strategist, have to contribute to those meetings, if not to ensure that policy is shaped by political implications or considerations? It may be likely that Trump would consult Steve Bannon regardless, but giving him a formal seat at the NSC sends a chilling message to men and women in uniform, to diplomats and intelligence professionals—that Bannon’s political advice matters as much as theirs.
• The director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff no longer get automatic seats at the adults’ table—also known as the Principals Committee. Below the NSC, the Principals Committee is the most senior interagency body of the national security process. It’s the last stop before taking a major national-security decision to the president. It’s chaired by the national security adviser, and usually contains at least the secretary of state, the secretary of defense and until recently, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of national intelligence. To remove the chairman and the DNI is not historically without precedent. In fact, George W. Bush’s NSPD-1 also did not list the then-DCI and chairman as regular PC members—only when issues relevant to their responsibilities or expertise were to be discussed. Of course, NSPD-1 was issued before the events of September 11, and military and intelligence inputs have been considered essential ever since.
So this move remains bizarre given the nature of the national-security challenges America faces and President Trump’s own stated priorities. In fact, I can’t think of a single top national-security issue today that doesn’t require the president to have military and intelligence expertise (not to mention well-developed and considered options)—including ISIS, North Korea, China, and Iran. Given Trump’s recent treatment and open distrust of the U.S. intelligence community, it is hard not to read this as yet another worrying signal of his intent. Alternatively, it might be a power play by National Security Advisor Mike Flynn. Surely Flynn will find it is in his interest to include the chairman and the DNI in most if not all PC meetings. Nobody wants to serve up a policy or decision to the president that doesn’t benefit from military and intelligence expertise. Right?
• The Homeland Security Council reemerges, but it probably won’t make Americans any safer. In 2009, Obama moved to reintegrate the core functions of the Homeland Security Council (a historic anomaly established under George W. Bush) into the National Security Council and its staff—the idea being that counterterrorism policy and decisions should be part and parcel of a much broader national-security policy. This was sometimes an uneven integration and didn’t entirely eliminate counterterrorism stovepipes. But instead of working to achieve a more comprehensive counterterrorism policy, Trump has reversed course by bringing the HSC back from the dead. This appears to be mostly a symbolic change, but it will probably drive everyone involved in the interagency process nuts in a couple months. Even if they’re using the same NSC staff, the success of the process will rely heavily on a strong relationship between the national security advisor and homeland security advisor. In practice, it probably won’t do much to improve counterterrorism or homeland security.
The reality is that these directives are mostly guideposts and expressions of early presidential intent. During the course of my nearly six years on the NSC staff, I watched the membership of PCs and NSC change based on the issues at hand. I saw both good NSC process and bad NSC process. Ultimately, however, the success or failure of every National Security Council depends heavily on the command culture set by the president, the discipline and transparency of the NSC process itself, and the personalities and relationships of those sitting around the table in the White House Situation Room.
The Trump presidency has yet to be tested by a real national-security crisis, but it is coming—and the president will definitely need a functional and disciplined NSC to navigate the storm. Based on the events of this week, however, it is not yet clear how much Trump will actually rely on his NSC or any formal process for major national-security decisions. That, more than the memo, may be the most serious cause for concern.
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On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer announced that Trump will reinstate the director of the CIA as a regular Principals Committee member. But the President will keep his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, as a regular committee member -- a move that came under fire -- while the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will not be regular attendees.
The committee is a Cabinet-level group of agencies focused on national security that was established by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.
Former acting CIA chief Michael Morell on Monday
sharply criticized the move
to add Bannon to the group while limiting the involvement of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and DNI, calling it "unprecedented" in an appearance on "CBS This Morning."
"I have never been to a principals' meeting where the views of the DNI and the views of the chairman are not relevant," said Morell, who advised Hillary Clinton's campaign for president. "Every principals' meeting starts with an intelligence briefing by the DNI."
He added, "Having somebody like Bannon in the room brings politics into a room where there should be no politics."
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted that the move was "dangerous" and called for Bannon to be removed from the panel.
"Steve Bannon sitting on the National Security Council is dangerous and unprecedented. He must be removed," Sanders said.
Spicer claimed the move was in line with previous administrations' steps to structure their own NSCs, and said that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence would both be welcome to attend any NSC session.
The CIA director is a Trump ally, and subordinate to the director of national intelligence on organization charts.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said the NSC set-up under President George W. Bush was similar.
"There's been no change effectively to the role of the chairman in 16 years," Davis said, referring to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. "What has remained constant is the role of the chairman. He is the principal military adviser to the secretary, he is the principal military adviser to the president."
Davis said the defense secretary "intends to always have the Chairman at his side when he is discussing anything that has anything to do with our national security or our military," whether he's engaging with the full National Security Council or the Principals Committee.
"We don't see this as a change, we see this as a continuation of the very critical role that the chairman has played in an advisory capacity," Davis said.
Spicer hammered President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice for asking on Twitter why the CIA was omitted from the NSC, noting that Obama's own NSC memo from 2009 didn't list the CIA.
In a series of tweets in which she described the reorganization as "stone cold crazy," Rice had tweeted: "Chairman of Joint Chiefs and DNI treated as after thoughts in Cabinet level principals meetings. And where is CIA?? Cut out of everything?"
To date, every version of the Committee has included the Joint Chiefs chairman and the director of the CIA or, once it was established, the head of the DNI. DNI James Clapper was always included in Obama administration's NSC principals' meetings, CNN confirmed.
Bannon's presence reinforces the notion he is, in essence, a co-chief of staff alongside Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and demonstrates the breadth of influence the former head of Breitbart News has in the Trump administration.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, offered praise for the administration's national security team, but he expressed serious concerns about Bannon.
"I think the national security team around President Trump is very impressive," McCain said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"I am worried about the National Security Council who are the members of it and who are the permanent members of it," McCain added. "The appointment of Mr. Bannon is something which is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history. It's of concern this ... reorganization."
The NSC is run by National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency until he was asked to step down in 2014 by senior intelligence leaders.
There has been running tension between the Trump administration and the intelligence community, though during a visit to the CIA Trump declared that "nobody feels stronger about the intelligence community than Donald Trump ... I love you. I respect you."
Before then, the President had argued that intelligence services were politically partisan, he dismissed their findings that Russia hacked Democratic targets during the campaign and referred slightingly to the intelligence community by tweeting with the word intelligence in quotes.
In setting out the reorganization, Trump said that "security threats facing the United States in the 21st century transcend international boundaries. Accordingly, the United States Government's decision-making structures and processes to address these challenges must remain equally adaptive and transformative."
Regular members of the Principals Committee will include the secretary of state, the treasury secretary, the defense secretary, the attorney general, the secretary of Homeland Security, the assistant to the President and chief of staff, the assistant to the President and chief strategist, the national security adviser and the Homeland Security adviser.
CNN's Eric Bradner contributed to this report.
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The rampage at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center left six people dead.
The province's premier, Philippe Couillard, called the attack an act of terror.
But many questions remain, and some details have changed as the investigation evolves. Here's what we know so far:
At least two gunmen dressed in black opened fire at the center in Quebec City on Sunday, witnesses said.
Authorities have not identified the six slain victims, but said they were all men between the ages of 39 and 60.
Five wounded victims remained hospitalized Monday, a spokeswoman for Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus said.
The National Police of Quebec said 39 others inside the mosque were not hurt.
The investigation
Of the two people arrested Sunday night, only one is now considered a suspect, said Surete de Quebec, the police organization investigating the shooting.
The other person who was arrested is now considered a witness and not a suspect, as originally believed, police told CNN.
Authorities have not released the name of the suspect or a possible motive, but police are investigating it as an act of terrorism. They're also trying to determine whether any accomplices were involved.
CNN partner CBC
reported that an attacker called 911 and said he was armed, but said was willing to cooperate with police.
The mosque's response
The mosque urged the public to not jump to conclusions or spread unsubstantiated rumors.
"Please wait for preliminary result (of the investigation) before circulating rumors," the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center said on Facebook. "The situation is very critical."
Another post showed the center's gratitude for the "hundreds of messages of compassion coming from all over."
At least two vigils, in Quebec City and in Montreal, are planned for Monday.
Mosque was previously targeted
This is not the first time the mosque has been targeted.
Last year, the cultural center received a wrapped pig's head and a magazine with a pig on its cover, saying "Bonne Appetit," according to a post on its Facebook page. The post reads:
"We just learned that a gesture of hate towards our Great Mosque took place Sunday morning (14 Ramadan) around Salat Al-Fajr! Police was made aware and opened an investigation!"
Under the Quran, pork is prohibited and pigs are considered unclean.
Quick condemnation
Canada's leaders condemned the attack on social media.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences in both French and English.
"Canadians grieve for those killed in a cowardly attack on a mosque in Quebec City. My thoughts are with victims & their families."
Later, in a statement on his official site, Trudeau wrote:
"It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear.
"Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country. Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance."
Premier Couillard said Quebec's support of Muslims will not waver.
"Let's unite against violence," the post reads. "We stand in solidarity with the Muslim people of Quebec."
CNN's Paula Newton and Julia Jones reported from Quebec City; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Euan McKirdy, Merieme Arif abd Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.
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Police now say only one of the two people arrested after Sunday’s terror attack on a mosque in Quebec City is a suspect, with the second man considered a witness.
There are reports that the suspect is Alexandre Bissonnette, a Université Laval student. Police would not confirm that information. Initially, police said two suspects were arrested. But on Monday, the Sûreté du Québec said the second man was a witness.
One of the men was arrested at the scene, while a second called 911 himself and was arrested around 9 p.m., just over an hour after the first 911 calls came in at 7:55 p.m., police said Monday morning during a news conference involving the Sûreté du Québec, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Quebec City police and Montreal police.
Quebec City police Insp. Denis Turcotte said the man who called 911 waited for officers to arrest him not long after the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec in Quebec City’s Ste-Foy neighbourhood.
“He was armed and spoke to us about his acts,” said Turcotte. “He seemed to want to co-operate….The suspect said he was waiting for the police to arrive.”
Sûreté du Québec police officers and dogs search the area around the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec in Quebec City, Jan. 30, 2017. Phil Carpenter / Montreal Gazette
A home on Tracel St. in the Cap-Rouge district of Quebec City was among the places where the police conducted searches on Monday.
The single-family dwelling appears to belong to Bissonette’s parents, who bought the property in 1987, real-estate records show.
Bissonnette’s father is listed in the sales deed as an investigator.
A Quebec City Facebook group called Bienvenue aux réfugié said Bissonnette “is unfortunately known to many activists in Quebec City for his positions on identity and his pro-Le Pen and anti-feminist stances at Université Laval and on social networks.”
Six people died in the attack, which occurred during evening prayers.
On Monday morning, a large police perimeter surrounded the mosque where SQ and local police combed the grounds, looking through garbage cans and under cars. Technicians were seen going in and out of the mosque, and a sniffer dog was also used.
Several bouquets of flowers were left on the street across from the mosque.
The victims were fathers, businessmen, a university professor and others who had gathered for evening prayers, a Muslim community leader said Monday as he recalled through tears the horror of the attack that killed six and injured 19 others.
“It’s a very, very big tragedy for us,” said Mohamed Labidi, the vice-president of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec, the mosque where the attack happened Sunday night. “We have a sadness we cannot express.”
Labidi said the victims were shot in the back.
“Security at our mosque was our major, major concern,” he said. “But we were caught off guard.”
A spokesperson for the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Geneviève Dupuis, said Monday two people are in critical condition as a result of the Quebec City shooting, and three more are in stable condition and should obtain their leave in the next few days.
Dupuis said Enfant-Jésus Hospital welcomed most of the injured, while three other hospitals treated patients for shock and minor injuries.
Not far, a group of about 12 people, all members of the Muslim community, huddled and talked quietly among themselves.
Anoiar Ropnadi told the Montreal Gazette he came to the hospital out of concern for his friends, which he called brothers.
In a rare move, the hospital let Ropnadi and the entire group go up to the second floor, in the trauma department, to visit with at least one of the patients in stable condition.
Ropnadi said the news was encouraging: “I saw one of my friends, he was shot in the shoulder. He’s in stable condition. He walked to the bathroom and is taking antibiotics. My other friend is also in stable condition, he just has nausea, but I didn’t get to see him because he’s still with police investigators.”
“It’s a tight-knit community, everyone knows everyone, we play soccer together, we attend religious holidays,” Ropnadi added.
“We never thought we’d see this happen in Quebec City. It’s so sad, everybody’s upset.”
Speaking in the House of Commons Monday afternoon, Justin Trudeau denounced the “act of brutal violence.”
“This was a group of innocents, targeted for practicing their faith,” he said. “Make no mistake: this was a terrorist attack. It was an attack on our most intrinsic and cherished values as Canadians, values of openness, diversity and freedom of religion. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.
“These people were brothers, uncles, fathers and friends, these were people of faith and community and in the blink of an eye they were robbed of their lives in an act of brutal violence.”
Azzedine Soufiane was one of the victims. The father of three young children was a well-known figure in the community.
“We’ve just lost someone who was very, very nice, a good person … such a loss, someone who was so welcoming, who helped everybody,” said Ali Miladi, who said he and his father-in-law knew Soufiane well.
Miladi drove to Soufiane’s meat shop in the Ste-Foy neighbourhood Monday morning, cut his car’s engine and let the tears run down his face.
“He was a friend.”
Sûreté du Québec officers search the area around a mosque in Quebec City Jan. 30, 2017. The mosque was the scene of a deadly shooting Sunday night. Phil Carpenter / Montreal Gazette
Still in shock, Miladi said he will spend the day consoling and helping Soufiane’s widow.
In 2009, Soufiane defended Quebec as an open society in an interview he gave to Le Soleil. “I’ve been here for 20 years,” he said at the time, “and I’ve never had any problems. We live in society, we live in peace, and we hope that it will continue like this.”
Ali said he followed in Soufiane’s footsteps and opened his own halal meat shop in Ste-Foy.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise $35,000 to pay for funeral expenses.
Within 10 hours, it has raised more than $15,000.
“We know Canadians are generous people,” organizers of the campaign said on the GoFundMe fundraising page.
“We know Muslims have a big heart. We all come together in times of crisis. Let us dig a little into your pocket to alleviate the suffering of grieving families who have lost a loved one in this terrorist attack.”
The two men arrested were not known to police and the investigation into a possible motive continues, said superintendent Martin Plante of the RCMP’s C Division. He would not confirm the identity of the victims.
“We must respect the judicial process, we cannot reveal suspects’ identities yet,” he said, adding that it was still too early to determine what charges will be laid.
Sunday night’s attack left six people dead and injured many others. The six victims were all men, between 39 and 60 years old.
Chief Inspector André Goulet of the SQ said that 75 officers from the force were involved in the investigation and that all patrollers have increased their vigilance, especially around mosques.
He asked anyone with information to call the anonymous tip line at 1 800 659-4264. As of 9 a.m., the line had already received 46 calls, Goulet said.
Assistant director Patrick Lalonde of the Montreal police said that immediately following Sunday night’s incident, police contacted Muslim leaders in Montreal and increased police presence around all mosques in the city.
On Monday, an official from the Centre hospitalier de l’Université Laval said five people remain in critical condition following the attack.
Of those injured, five victims are in the intensive care unit of the Enfant-Jésus hospital in Quebec City, said Geneviève Dupuis, a spokesperson for the hospital network. Three of those five have life-threatening injuries, while the other two are more stable, the hospital said.
Nineteen people — all male — were injured in the attack. The six people killed were between the ages of 35 and 60. Their identities have not been released.
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume (from left), Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, and Martin Coiteux, minister of public security, speak to the press after a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City Jan. 30, 2017. ALICE CHICHE / AFP/Getty Images
Another 12 people who had minor injuries have been released from hospital.
Initial reports had six people in critical condition following the shooting, but a hospital spokesperson said the sixth person who came to the hospital with a gunshot wound was from an unrelated incident.
According to the Journal de Québec, the six dead include two Algerians, a Tunisian, a Moroccan and two others from African countries.
The rector of Université Laval, Denis Brière, and vice-rector Éric Beauce addressed the media Monday morning in the Alphonse-Desjardins pavilion. Reports indicate that one or both of the men arrested were students at the university.
Beauce said the university couldn’t confirm that the men are students at the university. “We can’t confirm it and the police haven’t told us that,” he said.
Beauce said that security has been stepped up at the campus; the university has increased the number of security guards and stepped up patrols.
“We have a large Muslim community here,” he said.
Brière said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the shootings that occurred at the mosque on Sunday night.
“I have no words to describe these cruel events that we condemn loudly this morning,” he said.
“We are devastated for the families, those close to the victims, for our Muslim community, our students, teachers and friends.”
The university will provide counselling to any student or staff member who feels they need to speak to someone, he said.
Brière expressed his condolences to members of the university community “who lost people close to them.”
On Facebook, the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, issued a statement on Monday morning.
It read, in part: “We were attacked because we are Muslim. Shot at point blank range because we are Muslims. Dead because we are Muslim.
“A scene of unspeakable brutality took place in front of dozens of Quebec citizens, including children. Gunfire, death, reloading of weapons, yelling, wounded people. Blood on the prayer rugs. A scene almost of war, hear, at home, in Quebec, our city known for its tranquility.”
A number of Canadian Muslim groups have expressed shock and anger at the attack.
“Quebec Muslims are frightened right now,” said Haroun Bouazzi, president of AMAL-Quebec, a Muslim human-rights group based on Montreal. “We are urgently waiting for answers as to how and why such a tragedy could occur.”
Bouquets lay in the snow near the entrance to the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec (background) in Quebec City Jan. 30, 2017. Phil Carpenter / Montreal Gazette
The Montreal Holocaust Museum said “an attack against people gathered in peaceful prayer is an islamophobic assault that concerns all of us. The murder of innocent people because of their faith is an assault on values which we hold dear, including freedom of religion and religious expression, the equal rights and protection of minorities, and particularly the sanctity of human life.”
The museum said the attack “is a line in the sand. This attack has been perpetrated in a context in which it has become legitimate to spread bigotry and hate, a world which targets minorities and normalises an ‘us and them’ mentality.”
Pope Francis has expressed his condolences.
“Pope Francis stressed the importance of for all, Christians and Muslims, to be united in prayer,” the Vatican said in a statement.
“He expresses his profound sympathy for the wounded and their families, and to all who contributed to their aid, asking the Lord to bring them comfort and consolation in the ordeal. The Holy Father again strongly condemns the violence that engenders such suffering; and, imploring God for the gift of mutual respect and peace.”
U.S. President Donald Trump called Trudeau to offer his condolences in the wake of the attack, the prime minister’s office said.
Also Monday, police investigators were seen searching the residence of at least one of the men arrested.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard ordered that the flag above the National Assembly fly at half-staff. The city of Montreal also lowered the flag above city hall and administrative buildings.
The provincial government has created an online book of condolences to allow the public to pay tribute to victims of the attack.
In Montreal, police increased their presence around mosques in the city following Sunday’s tragedy.
Pope Francis hugs archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gerald LaCroix, as they meet at the Santa Marta residence, at the Vatican Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. Pope Francis has condemned the Quebec mosque attack and called for mutual respect among people of different faiths. L'Osservatore Romano / Pool Photo via AP
Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante issued a statement Monday morning declaring her thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of the Quebec City attack and calling on politicians and citizens to fight against intolerance.
“We can not remain silent in the face of this violence that has its origins in intolerance and hate, inflamed by the types of discourse that is too often treated as normal. We have the obligation, not only in the political sphere, but also as a citizen, to denounce this type of speech, and we also must propose solutions so this violence ends.
“There can not be any political group in Quebec or elsewhere, that welcomes and tolerates the radical ideas that are at the source of this attempt. There can not be a platform to spread hatred of others, no matter their religion, their sexual orientation, the colour of their skin or their gender.
Plante and several members of Projet Montréal will be at the vigil organised in solidarity with the Muslim community of Quebec, Monday at 6 p.m outside the Parc métro station.
St-Laurent mayor Alan DeSousa reassured residents that the borough was in close contact with Montreal police to ensure security at places of worship in the multi-ethnic district.
“In the minutes following the announcement of the attack, we contacted Montreal police to determine the situation in St-Laurent,” DeSousa said in a statement.
“We remain in close contact with them and other officials and representatives of religious communities to preserve the sense of security of our residents. With a population that is composed primarily of immigrants, St-Laurent is often cited as an example of harmonious co-habitation among the numerous cultural communities that it welcomes.
“We will spare no effort to ensure all our residents, regardless of their country of origin or their religion, can continue to go about their daily business and frequent the institutions of their choice in complete security.”
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BREAKING NEWS: Quebec City Attacker On Mosque Identified As ...
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One of the two assailants of a mosque in Quebec City, Canada who killed at least six people last night has been identified as Mohamed Khadir, ...
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Alexandre Bissonnette. (Facebook)
Alexandre Bissonnette has been identified as one of two suspects accused of killing six people and wounding eight others in a “barbaric” massacre Sunday night at a Quebec City mosque, TVA News reports.
The 27-year-old and another man, Mohamed Khadir, entered the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec and opened fire with rifles, shooting members of the mosque as they prayed, police and witnesses say.
Both men are in police custody, and were being questioned by police Monday morning. They are expected to face murder charges. Authorities have not confirmed the suspect’s names.
Police and politicians are calling it a terrorist attack, La Presse reports.
The victims range in age from 39 to 70, police said. They have not yet been identified publicly.
“Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui, told reporters. He was not at the mosque at the time of the shooting, but rushed to the scene after calls from members of the community.
The terror case is being led by the Quebec Provincial Police, along with Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Quebec City Police.
Here’s what you need to know about the suspect and the attack:
1. Just 17 Minutes After the Shooting, Bissonnette Called 911 to Say He Felt Guilty About What He’d Done & Wanted to Turn Himself In
Alexandre Bissonnette. (Facebook)
About 17 minutes after the first call of shots fired at the mosque, of the two suspects, Alexandre Bissonnette, called 911 to police he felt guilty about what he had done, La Presse reports.
Bissonnette, a 27-year-old Quebec native, told the 911 dispatcher he was going to shoot himself. About 8:45 p.m., he told police he wanted to be arrested.
Police have not yet released details about the suspect’s motive for the shooting. He was interrogated after being taken into custody and police are still investigating what led to the attack.
A source told Radio-Canada both suspects are students at Université Laval, a French-language, public college in Quebec City. There are about 28,500 undergraduate students and 8,500 graduate students attending the school.
According to La Presse, the second suspect, Mohamed Khadir, is of Moroccan descent. It is not clear if he is originally from Morocco or if he was born in Canada.
The suspects were not known to police prior to the shooting, authorities said.
Searches were being conducted Monday at locations believed to be connected to Bissonnette and Khadir.
2. Bissonnette Was Taken Into Custody About 14 Miles From the Mosque on a Bridge Over the St. Lawrence River
Alexandre Bissonnette. (Facebook)
After calling 911, the suspected shooter parked his car, a Mitsubishi, on the Island of Orleans bridge, and officers from the Tactical Intervention Group arrived and took him into custody, the newspaper reports.
A handgun and two rifles that looked like AK-47s were found in his car, according to La Presse.
The bridge remained closed early Monday morning, the newspaper said. Authorities feared the Mitsubishi may have been rigged with explosives.
The other suspect, Mohamed Khadir, was arrested close to the mosque, authorities said.
A search is still ongoing for a possible third suspect, though police do not believe there is a third man involved, at least not directly.
“The investigation has not ended,” Quebec City Police spokesman Étienne Doyon, told the Toronto Star. “We will be trying to verify if there is a third or fourth or any other person involved. We’re not ruling out that there may be other suspects.”
3. The Gunmen Wore Masks & Shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ During the Shooting, a Witness Says
(Facebook)
Witnesses told Reuters that two to three gunmen opened fire on worshippers inside the mosque Sunday night.
Along with the six killed and eight injured, at least 39 other people survived the attack, police said.
A witness told Radio-Canada the gunmen wore masks, the CBC reports.
“It seemed to me that they had a Quebecois accent. They started to fire, and (while) they shot they yelled, ‘Allahu akbar!’ The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head,” said the witness, who asked not to be named. “There were even kids. There was even a three-year-old who was with his father.”
Canadian police officers respond to a shooting in a mosque at the Québec City Islamic cultural center on Sainte-Foy Street in Quebec city on January 29, 2017. (Getty)
The mosque’s president said there can be up to 100 in attendance on a Sunday night. According to La Presse, children would have been in the basement, while the men would be on the ground floor and women on the second floor.
One of the gunmen was armed with an “AK-47,” Le Soleil reports.
Hamid Nadji, who spoke to a friend who was inside the mosque, told the Montreal Gazette the scene was a “carnage.”
Nadji told the newspaper, “From what we heard over the phone, one person had a weapon discharged in his face because he had wanted to jump on the man to stop him. And the three others died because they wanted to catch the man.”
One of the gunmen left the mosque to reload and came back. He then ran out of bullets a second time, reloaded and returned for a third round of shooting, Nadji told the Gazette.
After a previous hate crime incident at the mosque, also called Grande Mosque de Québec, its leaders said they had several CCTV cameras on the building. It is not clear if the video shows the shooting or the suspects.
The mosque has about 5,000 members and is one of six in the Quebec City region, the Montreal Gazette reports.
4. Bissonnette Is Studying Anthropology & Political Science at Université Laval
Bissonnette. (Facebook)
Little was known about Bissonnette as of Monday morning, as police were still working to determine what led to the shooting.
According to his Facebook page, Bissonnette is from Cap-Rouge, Quebec.
He is studying anthropology and political science at Université Laval in Quebec City, and has been a student there since 2012.
His Facebook page reveals few details about his reasoning for the shooting, and appears similar to other 20-something college students. His last public post, on January 20, was a photo of a dog wearing a Dominos pizza delivery outfit, with the caption, “I want one! #fridayfeeling.”
Other photos show him with family, with friends at parties and in a Halloween costume, as the killer from the movie “Scream.”
He has also posted recently about discoveries on Pluto, camping and wanting to travel one day to Torngat Mountains National Park. He also shared a video last year about a brewery owned by members of the band Megadeth.
In November 2015, he posted a photo of medals he said belong to his grandfather.
“For remembrance day coming up a picture of my grandfathers medals! From left to right is the 1939-1945 star, the france and germany star, the defence medal, the canadian VOLUNTEER medal and the war medal 1939-1945, we changed the ribbons and cleaned them, nice job,” he wrote.
Bissonnette likes the Facebook pages of U.S. President Donald Trump and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, but he does not express support for them elsewhere on his page. Other likes include the Israel Defense Forces, United With Israel and Parti Québécois of Université Laval.
5. The Same Mosque Was the Target of a Hate Crime Last June, When a Gift-Wrapped Pig’s Head Was Left Outside
(Getty)
In June 2016, a pig’s head was left outside the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec, the same mosque where the shooting occurred Sunday, along with the note “Bon appétit,” the CBC reported at the time.
The pig’s head was left during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The consumption of pork is banned by the Qu’ran.
In June, during Ramadan, the head of a pig was left outside the Quebec City mosque where multiple people were killed in a shooting Sunday night. (Facebook)
No one was ever arrested in that incident.
Mohamed Yangui, the mosque’s president, referenced the incident after the shooting.
In an interview with Le Soleil , he said police told them it was an “isolated act,” at the time, but “today we have deaths.” He said they had not received threats in recent days.
People come to show their support after a shooting occurred in a mosque at the Québec City Islamic cultural center on Sainte-Foy Street in Quebec city on January 29, 2017. (Getty)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement saying he was filled with “shock, anger and sadness” after the shooting Sunday night:
It was with tremendous shock, sadness and anger that I heard of this evening’s tragic and fatal shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec located in the Ste-Foy neighbourhood of the city of Québec. We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge. On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of all those who have died, and we wish a speedy recovery to those who have been injured. While authorities are still investigating and details continue to be confirmed, it is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence. Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear. Muslim-Canadians are an important part of our national fabric, and these senseless acts have no place in our communities, cities and country. Canadian law enforcement agencies will protect the rights of all Canadians, and will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance. Tonight, we grieve with the people of Ste-Foy and all Canadians.
Other politicians joined Trudeau in expressing support for the Muslim community.
“We know little at the moment, but one or two people have assumed the right to kill our fellow Muslim Québec citizens. When intolerance goes from debate to murder, solidarity is essential,” local politician Manon Massé told The Guardian.
Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume said in a statement the city is “in shock” following the shooting.
“My first thoughts go to the victims and their affected families as they gathered for prayer,” Labeaume said. “Quebec City is an open city where everyone must be able to live together in safety and respect. I invite all the people to unite and to be in solidarity. Québec is strong, Québec is proud, Québec is open to the world.”
Philippe Couillard, the Premier of Quebec, said on Twitter that the government is mobilized to protect people in the city after the shooting.
Philippe Couillard, the Premier of Quebec, said on Twitter that the government is mobilized to protect people in the city after the shooting.
He also said, in French, “Quebec categorically rejects this barbaric violence. Our solidarity is with victims, the injured and their families.”
A Canadian police officer talks to a woman after a shooting in a mosque at the Québec City Islamic cultural center on Sainte-Foy Street in Quebec city on January 29, 2017. (Getty)
The shooting comes on the same day as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the United States to fight back against an order banning refugees and visa-holders from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Trudeau has put out messages supporting Muslim immigrants and has said his country would welcome those turned away by the U.S.
Canada did not denounce Trump’s order, the CBC reported on Sunday, prior to the shooting.
“Every country has the right to determine their policies. I can only tell you that we will continue our long-standing tradition of being open to those who seek sanctuary,” Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen told the CBC.
Hussen did say that Canada would not be raising the number of refugees it will accept in 2017, despite speculation after Trudeau’s tweet that it would bring in more people, according to the CBC. Canada plans to bring in about 25,000 refugees this year.
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First, reflect on the cruelty of President Trump’s decision on Friday to indefinitely suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees and temporarily ban people from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the United States. It took just hours to begin witnessing the injury and suffering this ban inflicts on families that had every reason to believe they had outrun carnage and despotism in their homelands to arrive in a singularly hopeful nation.
