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QUEBEC — The victims of a mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque were fathers, businessmen, a university professor and others who had gathered for evening prayers, a Muslim community leader said Monday as he recalled through tears the horror of the attack that killed six and injured 19 others.

“It’s a very, very big tragedy for us,” said Mohamed Labidi, the vice-president of the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec, the mosque where the attack happened Sunday night. “We have a sadness we cannot express.”

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Labidi said the victims, all men, were shot in the back as they prayed.

“Security at our mosque was our major, major concern,” he said. “But we were caught off guard.”

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– At 7:50 p.m. Sunday, police received several calls from the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec reporting that shots had been fired

– Quebec police said six people were killed. A hospital spokeswoman confirmed five people are in critical condition and at least 14 others were taken to hospital with minor injuries

– The victims ranged in age from 35 to 60 and were all men. Thirty-nine people escaped the attack

– Two men were arrested separately — one near the mosque