Swordsman in medieval clothing kills two in Quebec

Two people were killed and five wounded in a Halloween attack in Quebec City by a sword-wielding suspect dressed in medieval clothing, Canadian police said early Sunday.

The rampage occurred late Saturday in multiple locations in the Old Quebec neighborhood, near the tourist hotspot Chateau Frontenac and the National Assembly, the Quebec provincial parliament, according to police.

The suspect, "a man in his mid-20s," was armed with a sword and dressed in "medieval clothing," Quebec City police spokesman Etienne Doyon said during a press briefing.

Police have not given a motive for the attacks.

According to three witnesses quoted by Quebec newspaper Le Soleil, the attacker killed his first victim near the Chateau Frontenac hotel and there was "a lot of blood."

The man then continued on Rue des Remparts, where the second person was killed, before heading to the Old Port, wounding the other victims, according to the newspaper.

The suspect was arrested early Sunday after a manhunt through the streets of Old Quebec, Doyon said.

Police received a report about the attacks at around 10:30 pm and sent several officers to the scene, including dog handlers, Doyon said.

The suspect was arrested shortly before 1:00 am near the Old Port, he added.

He was then "checked" and "transported to hospital for evaluation."

The suspect has been formally identified but police have not released his identity.

"It's a man who was dressed medieval. It's a man who carried a sword with him. It's stab wounds -- that's all we can tell you at the moment," Doyon said.

The five survivors wounded in the rampage had suffered injuries of varying severity, he said. Police have not released any details on the identities or ages of the victims.

The suspect was lying on the ground, barefoot and hypothermic, when he was arrested, Le Soleil reported.

He surrendered to police, according to the newspaper, which said he had been planning his attack for a year and a half.

Police asked city residents to stay inside with the doors locked while their investigation was underway, with several neighborhoods cordoned off with a heavy police presence.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the streets of Old Quebec were quiet at the time of the attacks, freelance journalist Jordan Proust told AFP.