Quebec police spokesperson Etienne Doyon on November 1, 2020 -

Jacques Boissinot / AP / SIPA

The 24-year-old man who killed two people with knives and wounded five others Saturday on Halloween night in old Quebec, wanted to "kill as many people as possible" but was not a priori " associated with a terrorist group, ”police said on Sunday.

"Yesterday evening we were plunged into a night of horror when a 24-year-old man, who does not reside in Quebec, came to us with the intention of causing as many victims as possible", explained during of a press point the director of the Quebec police service, Robert Pigeon.

"I think he had planned his gesture"

"Everything suggests" that the suspect, armed with a Japanese sword and disguised in medieval costume, "would have chosen his victims at random," he added.

The police chief said that two of the victims are French people living in Quebec for a few years, without specifying whether they were among the dead or injured.

The vital prognosis of the five injured is not engaged, said Robert Pigeon.

Some suffered "significant lacerations," he said.

The suspect, originally from Montreal, must appear by videoconference during the day.

"I think he had planned his act," added the police chief.

The suspect arrested after a manhunt

The young man had also "verbalized his desire to take action" five years ago, but had no criminal record, according to him.

“All of Quebec is in mourning this morning”, for his part lamented the Deputy Prime Minister of Quebec, Geneviève Guilbault, who denounced “barbaric” acts.

The attacks took place late Saturday evening of Halloween in Old Quebec, especially in the famous Chateau Frontenac district, a tourist hotspot in the capital of the French-speaking Canadian province, according to police.

The suspect was arrested after a manhunt lasting several hours in the streets of Old Quebec.

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