Quebec Mosque Shooting Live Updates: Several Dead After Gunmen Open Fire During Evening Prayers

UPDATE: 1:43 a.m. EST — The Quebec police informed the public in a news briefing that six people were killed and eight were injured Sunday night at a mosque in Quebec City, in what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau termed a “terrorist attack on Muslims.” Two suspects have been arrested, according to a spokeswoman for the Sûreté du Québec, the Quebec provincial police, the Washington Post reported.

While one suspect was apprehended around 14 miles east of the mosque, as he approached a bridge leading to the Island of Orleans that was closed off by the police, another suspect was arrested from near the mosque.

Although unconfirmed local reports citing eyewitness accounts and police sources suggest that a third suspect may be at large, a police spokeswoman reportedly said that authorities do not believe any other individual was directly involved in the attack.

“The situation is under control, the premises are secure and the occupants were evacuated,” the police said in a tweet. “The investigation is ongoing.”

UPDATE: 12:23 a.m. EST — At least five people were killed in a gun attack, which eyewitnesses claimed was carried out by three assailants in the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre while evening prayers were going on at the mosque Sunday evening, the mosque president reportedly said.

Local newspaper Le Soleil said that one of the suspects was in possession of an AK-47 assault rifle and another one was aged 27. The paper also said that police claim a third suspect could be on the run.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the shooting as a "terrorist attack on Muslims," and added "we condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge," in a statement.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard also characterized the shooting as an act of terrorism.

Original story:

Five people have been reportedly killed and several others injured after gunmen opened fire at a mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers Sunday.

Two arrests have been made, according to reports citing police sources. However, no other details regarding death toll or identity of suspects have been released by authorities. City police said that all occupants of the site have been evacuated and the site has been secured.

"There are many victims ... there are deaths," a Quebec police‎ spokesman told reporters, according to Reuters.

Witnesses said that about three men opened fire at around 8 p.m., local time, inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center on Sainte-Foy Street. There were about 40 people inside the mosque at the time of the incident.

"Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” said Mohamed Yangui, the mosque's president who confirmed the deaths of five individuals.

In a Facebook live video on the mosque's page, images of multiple police vehicles and yellow police tape can be observed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used Twitter to reach out to those targeted by the “cowardly attack.”

Philippe Couillard, the premier of Quebec, also assured the public that the government is making efforts to keep people safe.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a tweet that he was "profoundly saddened by the loss of life and wounded."

This is a developing story.