International reaction to mosque attack; lights to go out on Eiffel Tower

Shiite-majority Iran is helping Iraq and Syria battle the Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group. But Iran has also provided aid to groups that Western nations consider terrorist organizations, like the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.

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12:00 p.m.

The mayor of Paris says that the lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight to honour the victims of the attack on a Canadian mosque in which six people died.

In a tweet Monday, Anne Hidalgo says the action would send a “fraternal message to everyone in Quebec and in Canada.”

The lights on the iconic Paris monument will be turned off from midnight.

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11:45 a.m.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to express condolences about the Quebec City mosque attack that killed six.

Trudeau’s office says Trump expressed his condolences to Trudeau and the Canadian people and offered to provide any assistance needed.

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8:50 a.m.

Pope Francis has condemned the Quebec mosque attack and is calling for mutual respect among people of different faiths.

Francis conveyed his condolences in writing and in person to the archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gerald LaCroix, who was in Rome on Monday and returned immediately to Canada.

In the telegram, Francis says he is praying for those killed and injured, as well as those who responded to the bloodshed. It says “The Holy Father firmly condemns the violence that engenders such suffering, and begs the Lord for the gift of mutual respect and peace.”

In a separate statement, the Vatican’s office of relations with Muslims is condemning the act of “unheard of violence,” saying a massacre at a mosque “violated the sacredness of human life and the respect owed to a community in prayer in a place of worship.”

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5:45 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman is condemning the “despicable” attack at a Quebec City mosque.

Spokesman Steffen Seibert said the German leader was shocked by the shooting during Sunday evening prayers that left six people dead.

Seibert said Monday: “If the killers intended to set people of different faiths against each other or to divide them, they must not and will not succeed in that. We stand in mourning beside the Muslim community in Quebec.”

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5:15 a.m.

French President Francois Hollande has condemned the “odious attack” on a Quebec mosque and offered support for Canada’s leaders.

Hollande, whose country has suffered a string of Islamic extremist attacks, said in a statement that “it was the Quebecois spirit of peace and openness that the terrorists wanted to harm” in Sunday’s attack.

Hollande, whose country has suffered a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks, said “France stands at the sides of the victims and their families,” and offered solidarity for Quebec Prime Minister Philippe Couillard and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Six people were killed and eight were injured in the shooting at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers. Authorities reported two arrests.

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The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

International reaction to mosque attack; lights to go out on Eiffel Tower

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