For Quebec City Muslims, questions remain after mosque shooter pleads guilty

In a wheelchair on the steps of the Quebec City courthouse, Aymen Derbali sighed in relief. He won't have to relive the horrors of Jan. 29, 2017, the night Alexandre Bissonnette walked into his mosque and killed six people.

Derbalitried to distract Bissonnetteafter he started shooting, but like four others, was critically injured. The father of three spent several months in a coma and is nowparaplegic.

Bissonnettepleaded guilty Wednesday toall charges against him, including six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, reversing a not-guilty plea made two days earlier.

He then read a statement to the court explaining his decision:"In spite of what has been said about me, I am not a terrorist, nor anIslamophobe, rathera person who was carried away byfear, negative thoughts and a horrible form of despair."

But forDerbali, Bissonnette's statement answered few questionsand only left him feelingperplexed.

"I don't know what his intentions were, what the motives were that pushed him to commit this crime if he was not Islamophobic, and if it's not a crime of terror,"Derbalisaid.

Islamophobia looms large

In his statement,Bissonnettetold the courthe decided to change his plea because he is deeply sorry for the pain he caused and is ashamed of his actions. The families of the victims criedsoftlyas he spoke.

MohamedLabidi, the former president of Quebec City's Islamic Cultural Centre, whereBissonnettecarried out his attack, said the killer's statement was "not a complete answer."He still wonders how a personcould do such a thing.

"There is no response for many, many questions,"he said.

Last year's shooting cast a shadow over Quebec City,leavingMuslims in the provincial capital fearful and raising questions about Islamophobia in Quebec society.

HassanGuillet, a prominent imam, said the guilty plea doesn't mean the media and politicians areoff the hook.

"We don't want to hide behind this young man to say that everything is going well, that the only author of these crimes is all this young man," he said.

Sparing families a burden

But could a trial have helped shed light on what droveBissonnetteto kill six Muslim men?

Faisal Bhabha, aprofessor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School, said that wasunlikely, and isn'tthe role of the legal system.

"It doesn't necessarily give you insight into the accused's mind," he said.

A trial, he said, would have led to another round of pain.

"The only thing we know for sure that a trial would have done is that it would have asked a lot of the families of the victims. It would have been a big burden on them."

Aymen Derbali, paralyzed in Mosque shooting, reacts to guilty plea

6 years ago

Duration 0:48

Aymen Derbali was left paralyzed after he was shot seven times in the Quebec city mosque shooting. He says Alexandre Bissonnette, who pleaded guilty, should feel remorse for his actions.

Amir Belkacemi, the son of Khaled Belkacemi, one of six men killed in the attack, echoed that sentiment. Outside the courtroom, hesaidthe guilty plea was a "good thing."

"I think the events that took place last year were very traumatic, very difficult. No one really wants to live those traumatic days again."