Aymen Derbali knew he would be late for evening prayers, but he decided to go anyway.

He left his home in Sainte Foy, Que., on Jan. 29, 2017.

When he arrived at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, he took a spot in the back corner to not disturb others but within minutes, he said he heard a loud noise.

That night, six people were killed and 19 seriously injured when a gunman burst into the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, Derbali was one of them.

The attack stunned the country and was condemned as an act of terrorism.

In the months following the shooting, Canadian Muslims voiced fear around discrimination and there was a heated debate erupted in Canada over the concept of Islamophobia.

On this episode of Global News’ What happened to…? Erica Vella speaks with Aymen Derbali about that night. She also looks at what happened to the man who was responsible for this tragedy and finds out if Islamophobia played a role in the tragedy.

Contact:

Twitter: @ericavella

Email: [email protected]

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