Montreal plans public funeral at hockey arena for mosque shooting victims
Mayor Denis Coderre announces service at Maurice Richard Arena in city's east end
A Montreal hockey arena will be transformed into a place of remembrance and mourning for the six men killed in the Quebec City mosque shooting.
A public funeral service will be held Thursday at Maurice Richard Arena for three of the six — Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane and Aboubaker Thabti — while the others will be honoured with prayers.
Mayor Denis Coderre said the service at the arena, which has a capacity of nearly 5,000 and was named after one of the city's most beloved hockey heroes, will be a chance for Montrealers to show their support for the Muslim community.
"Montreal has always been fuelled by diversity. It's our strength, it's part of our DNA," he said Wednesday.
"We all have a responsibility to make sure that everyone … feels like a full citizen."
The doors will open to the public at 11:30 a.m. and the service will begin at 1 p.m.
All three will be repatriated to their home countries, confirmed Mohamed Labidi, vice-president of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, the mosque where the attack occurred Sunday.
Belkacemi and Hassane are from Algeria, while Thabti is from Tunisia.
In anticipation of a large turnout, Coderre advised people to use public transportation to get to the arena, located in the city's east end.
Quebec City tribute
In Quebec City, a funeral will be held Friday for Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry and Azzedine Soufiane at the Quebec City convention centre.
All six victims will be honoured during the ceremony, which beings at 1 p.m. with doors opening at 11 a.m.
Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, was arrested Sunday night following the shooting that also left 19 people wounded. Two were still in critical condition when health officials last provided an update on Tuesday.
On Monday, Bissonnette was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five of attempted murder using a restricted firearm.
With files from The Canadian Press