Flowers and a candle are placed in front of the house of a woman killed in a Halloween attack on Sunday in Quebec, Canada. Photo: AFP
The sword-wielding attacker dressed in medieval costume who killed two people and injured five others in a Halloween rampage in Quebec City was "not associated with a terrorist group," Canadian police said Sunday.
The attacks occurred Saturday night in multiple locations in the Old Quebec neighborhood, near the tourist hot spot Chateau Frontenac and the National Assembly, the Quebec provincial parliament.
The suspect, who was arrested early Sunday after an hours-long street-by-street manhunt, was identified by local media as Carl Girouard, a man with a history of mental health issues from a Montreal suburb. Police have yet to confirm his identity.
A police spokesman did say the attack appeared premeditated - the suspect had spoken of carrying out such a crime five years before - but added that he had no criminal record.
The suspect made a brief preliminary court appearance by video-link Sunday afternoon; he was informed that he would face two charges of homicide and five more for attempted homicide.
A police spokesman identified the two persons killed as 56-year-old Francois Duchesne and 61-year-old Suzanne Clermont. Four men, ranging in age from 19 to 67, were wounded, as was a 24-year-old woman.
AFP