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Trial for alleged Quebec City mosque shooter to begin in March 2018

Oct 27, 2017 | 9:00 AM

QUEBEC — The trial for the man accused of gunning down six men inside a Quebec City mosque will take place next March.

Alexandre Bissonnette, 27, faces six counts of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder using a restricted firearm.

The men, aged between 39 and 60, were killed when a gunman stormed the mosque last Jan. 29 and opened fire as they were attending prayer.

Superior Court Justice Raymond W. Pronovost announced the March 26 date during a hearing Friday at the Quebec City courthouse. The trial is expected to last about two months.

“All of the parties, namely the Crown, the accused and the Superior Court, expressed a clear desire for the trial date to be set as soon as possible,” prosecutor Thomas Jacques said.

All sides will return to court Nov. 17 when legal arguments will be made regarding a defence motion opposing the disclosure of sensitive parts of search warrants relating to Bissonnette’s parents.

Pronovost did release dozens of other passages Friday, following through on a Quebec court decision to make the contents available to the media.

“You have the version of the witnesses who experienced the event and who told police what they went through, what happened,” said lawyer Jean-Francois Cote, who represents a consortium of media organizations including Radio-Canada, Le Soleil and TVA.

The Canadian Press