Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Father of Quebec City mosque shooter says his son isn’t a terrorist

Father of Quebec City mosque shooter says his son isn't a terrorist | iNFOnews.ca
Raymond Bissonnette, father of Alexandre Bissonnette who pleaded guilty in the 2017 mosque shooting, reads a statement to media as his wife Manon Marchand looks on, Thursday, June 21, 2018 at the hall of justice in Quebec City. The father of the Quebec City mosque shooter is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others to stop referring to his son as a terrorist. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUEBEC – The father of the Quebec City mosque shooter is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others to stop referring to his son as a terrorist.

In an open letter to Trudeau, Raymond Bissonnette says the label has "greatly increased" the danger to his family.

He says while his son's crimes were "of the most terrible kind," he had no terrorist connection "nor any particular ideology."

Alexandre Bissonnette was sentenced in February to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 40 years for killing six worshippers and injuring six others at a mosque in January 2017.

He was not charged with terrorism, but Trudeau and others have repeatedly referred to his actions in those terms.

In one recent example, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told a United Nations debate on terrorism financing last month that "two years ago, a terrorist killed six people in a Quebec City mosque."

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.

Related Articles