WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is citing the Sunday terrorist attack on Muslims at a mosque in Quebec City as an example of why his own anti-terror policies are needed — though those policies have targeted Muslims and though the accused killer is not Muslim.

“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. It’s a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant, and why the president is taking steps to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to our nation’s safety and security,” press secretary Sean Spicer said at his daily briefing on Monday.

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The Quebec City massacre killed six Muslims who were attending a mosque for evening prayers. Alexandre Bissonnette, a 27-year-old university student, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder.

Spicer did not specifically identify the policies he was referring to. But the “proactive, rather than reactive” language is similar to the rhetoric Trump and his allies have used in defending his “temporary” ban on refugees and by visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, which has caused a worldwide uproar.

Trump spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier on Monday. Spicer noted that Trudeau was “cautious to draw conclusions of the motives at this stage of the investigation.” Trump “shared those thoughts,” Spicer said.

Spicer said Trump offers “his condolences as well as his thoughts and prayers to the victims and their family and to all Canadians.”

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