I don’t want to be here alone..
NZ teen terror survivor at funeral of dad and brother
Mourners with coffins HIS face etched with pain, tragic Zaid Mustafa is comforted as he watches both his father and brother being laid to rest.
Directing his words at them, the distraught teenager sobbed: “I don’t want to be here alone.”
The 13-year-old Syrian refugee survived Friday’s Christchurch gun attack on the Al Noor mosque, where his family worshipped.
But his dad Khaled Mustafa, 44, and brother Hamza, 16, were among the 50 killed in the shooting in New Zealand. They were the first victims of the atrocity to be buried at Christchurch’s Memorial Park Cemetery yesterday. Hamza had been on the phone to his mum Salwa – who was also at the funeral – when he was shot by gunman Brenton Tarrant. Zaid, who was hit in the leg and arm, bravely insisted on being at the grave-side yesterday to pay his respects. Relatives and volunteers carried the two caskets into a marquee and prayers were held. They were then lifted through crowds of mourners before the bodies, wrapped in cloth, were PM Ardern meets first responder placed in graves facing Mecca. Each male mourner threw three handfuls of earth into the graves, as is Islamic tradition, as armed police kept watch.
The family had only arrived in New Zealand last July, after fleeing the horrors of Syria for a new start.
Friend Ali Akil said: “They survived atrocities and arrived here in a safe haven, only to be killed in the most atrocious way. Unfortunately we can’t claim New Zealand is a safe place any more.”
Funerals also took place at the same cemetery for victims Junaid Ismail, 36, and Ashraf Ali, 61, originally from Fiji.
A mass burial for dozens of victims of the mosque attacks is expected to take place tomorrow.
And Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a nationwide two-minute silence will also take place tomorrow. A memorial service in Christchurch will be held on Sunday.
Police said yesterday they believe Tarrant was on his way to attack a third location when he was arrested.
Commissioner Mike Bush refused to say where the killer was heading, saying it would “traumatise others”.
He added: “But we absolutely believe we know where he was going and we intervened on the way.”
Local Muslim leaders are hoping the Al Noor and Linwood mosques will reopen tomorrow. Building firms in Christchurch have offered their services free of charge to make repairs.
Thousands are expected to pack into the mosques and on the streets outside for Friday prayers.