At least two are killed and five seriously injured after a man dressed as a 'samurai' armed with a sword goes on the rampage in French-speaking Quebec City on Halloween before being arrested
Two people have been killed and five more seriously injured after a man dressed in 'samurai garb' and armed with a sword went on a stabbing spree in Quebec City.
The attack occurred late on Saturday night near the provincial parliament building in the capital of the French-speaking Canadian province, and a suspect was taken into custody after a citywide manhunt.
At least two people died in the attack, police confirmed. Five others were rushed to nearby hospitals in serious condition.
Police described the attacker as wearing 'medieval clothes' and Radio-Canada reported that he was dressed as a samurai. The attack occurred on Halloween, when such costumes would not necessarily raise alarm.
A terrorist attack has not been ruled out, but authorities were unable to immediately confirm that the stabbings were linked to a string of Islamist extremist terror attacks in France in recent weeks, including a horror knife attack at a church in Nice.
The attack occurred late on Saturday night near the provincial parliament building (above) in the capital of the French-speaking Canadian province
At least two people died in the attack, police confirmed. Five others were rushed to nearby hospitals in serious condition. Above, police respond to the stabbing attack
A suspect was arrested at around 1am, over an hour after the attack, at the Espace 400e business park in the Old Port.
The suspect is described by police as a male in his 20s. Police have formally identified the suspect but have yet to release his identity to the public.
The suspect was hospitalized after being taken into custody, police say. The arrest occurred about one mile from the parliament building where the attack occurred.
During the manhunt, police issued an urgent warning to those in the area, asking them to stay indoors.
During the manhunt, police issued an urgent warning to those in the area, asking them to stay indoors
The suspect was hospitalized after being taken into custody, police say. The arrest occurred about one mile from the parliament building where the attack occurred
'Avoid the Parliament Hill area. The suspect is still not located. For citizens of the whole city: You are asked to stay inside,' police said in a tweet just before midnight.
'According to our preliminary information, the suspect is dressed in medieval clothes,' cops said.
After the arrest, police tweeted: 'We still ask the citizens of Quebec City to stay inside with the doors locked because an investigation is still underway.'
It comes after a series of deadly Islamic extremist terror attacks in France, although police did not immediately reveal a potential connection.
Two weeks ago, a teacher was beheaded in the Paris suburbs after showing his class a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed during a discussion on free speech.
French President Emmanuel Macron drew fury from the Islamic world after defending the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.
On Thursday, three people were murdered in a Catholic basilica in Nice, in what officials called an Islamic extremism attack.
One victim, an elderly female, was beheaded. The suspect, a Tunisian man, was taken into police custody.
After the Nice attack, Macron said that France will not 'give up on our values' despite fury at the caricatures.
Protests are being staged across the Muslim world, with demonstrations seen in Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, and India.
