MONTREAL—The parents of Alexandre Bissonnette, the man alleged to have killed six men last year at a Quebec City mosque, have broken their silence to commiserate with the victims of an attack that remains “totally inexplicable.”

Manon Marchand and Raymond Bissonnette say in a letter sent to Radio-Canada that the year since the Jan. 29, 2017 shooting that also injured five other men has been a “nightmare.”

“The immense pain and suffering of the innocent victims and their families by this inexcusable act are still to this day, totally inexplicable. So many lives were destroyed in vain,” the couple wrote.

They said that they have not made any public comments until now, but have expressed their condolences in letters sent directly to the victims and their families through the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.

They too have been suffering in the year since the attack. A Radio-Canada reporter who spoke with Marchand said that she, her husband and Bissonnette’s twin brother, Mathieu, have been in counseling to cope with the tragedy. They have also been targeted by threats for which the police have had to intervene.

“Alexandre remains our son that we love and that will always be a part of our family. Like all parents, we had hoped to see him succeed and be happy in life,” the parents wrote. “In a sense, we have also lost a son.”

Bissonnette is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder for the shooting. His criminal trial is set to begin on March 26.

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