Governor General considers honouring Azzeddine Soufiane for bravery during Quebec City mosque attack
Video played during sentencing shows Soufiane rushing the gunman to try and disarm him
The Governor General's office is looking into the idea of posthumously honouring Quebec City mosque attack victim Azzeddine Soufiane for his bravery, according to the MP for the riding where the shooting took place.
Surveillance video played during the ongoing sentencing showed Soufiane rushing the gunman, Alexandre Bissonnette, in an effort to disarm him. Soufiane died from gunshot wounds.
Azzeddine Soufiane died trying to stop the Quebec City mosque shooter in 2017. Now, the Governor General's office is considering honouring him posthumously for bravery. <a href="https://t.co/Ec4XEZkwaj">pic.twitter.com/Ec4XEZkwaj</a>
—@CBCMontreal"Mr. Soufiane has acted heroically in his very last moments to save the lives of other at the peril and risk of his own," said Joël Lightbound, the Liberal MP for Louis-Hébert.
He said he is "supporting the candidacy of Mr. Soufiane to be recognized from the Governor General's Office."
Lightbound added that no movement will be made on the file until the trial has concluded.
Members of Quebec's Muslim community would also like to see Soufiane honoured on a national scale.
"In the same way that society is asking for Alexandre Bissonnette to be judged, we as a society at the same time should honour and thank people who did good things," said Hassan Guillet, Imam at a mosque in Saint-Jean-sur- Richelieu.
The former president of the mosque, Mohamed Labidi, watched the surveillance video in court this week.
He said while it was hard to watch, he was heartened by the acts of bravery he witnessed.
"I also wanted to see the heroic actions of people like Azzedine Soufiane. He literally gave his life for others."
In a statement, the Governor General's office said all nominations are confidential.
"We, therefore, cannot comment on particular cases," the statement said.
With files from Navneet Pall