Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief spokeswoman on Tuesday demanded that Fox News channel in the United States either retract or update a tweet that a gunman who killed six people at a Quebec mosque was of Moroccan origin because the suspect is in fact French-Canadian.

Spokeswoman Kate Purchase said the tweet on Monday dishonored the victims "by spreading misinformation, playing identity politics, and perpetuating fear and division within our communities".

A Fox News representative could not immediately be reached for comment.