Fox News forced to delete 'false and misleading' Quebec mosque attack tweet after Justin Trudeau intevenes

Network reported shooting suspect was of Moroccan origin when he was French-Canadian

Fox News has deleted a “false and misleading” tweet that claimed the suspect in the Quebec mosque terror attack was of Moroccan origin, following a call from the office of the Canadian Prime Minister for the network to remove the post.

Six people were killed and a further 19 injured in the attack on the mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers on Sunday. More than 50 people were at the mosque when the attack took place.

The man alleged to have carried out the attack is French-Canadian Alexandre Bissonnette, a 27-year-old student who is charged with six counts of murder.

The tweet, which was sent on Monday, stated: “Suspect in Quebec mosque terror attack was of Moroccan origin, reports show.”

The message was accompanied by a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a quote from him, which said: “We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge.”

Early reports of the shooting suggested two men had been arrested following, one of whom was of Moroccan origin, though the man was found to have been a witness and later released by police without charge.

Mr Trudeau’s spokeswoman, Kate Purchase, on Tuesday demanded that Fox News either retract or update the tweet to reflect the suspect’s French-Canadian nationality.

Ms Purchase said the “false and misleading” tweet dishonoured the victims “by spreading misinformation, playing identity politics, and perpetuating fear and division within our communities”.

Fox News did not immediately delete the tweet, but later complied.

Refet Kaplan, managing director at FoxNews.com, said in a statement on Tuesday: “FoxNews.com initially corrected the misreported information with a tweet and an update to the story on Monday. The earlier tweets have now been deleted,” CNN reported. “We regret the error.”

Ms Purchase responded to Fox News by tweeting: “Thank you @FoxNews for deleting the tweet. We appreciate it.”