Portraits honour Quebec mosque shooting victims, as community marks 5th anniversary of attack

Six vibrant portraits of the men killed in an attack on the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City are adorning the walls of the mosque this weekend, as the community marks the five-year anniversary of the shooting. 

The portraits, created by Toronto-based artist and former Montrealer Aquil Virani, show the smiling faces of Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti.

When the mosque’s co-founder, Boufeldja Benabdallah, looks at the portraits displayed in the main prayer room, he can’t help but think of the little details that made each of his “brothers” special.

“A sportsman,” said Benabdallah,