49 killed in terror attack on mosques
MASS SHOOTING IN NEW ZEALAND
NEW Zealand has been trying to come to terms with the deaths of 49 people shot dead at two mosques during midday prayers yesterday.
Most, if not all of them, were gunned down by an immigrant-hating white supremacist who apparently used a helmet-mounted camera to broadcast live video of the slaughter on Facebook.
One man was arrested and charged with murder, and two other armed suspects were taken into custody while police tried to determine what role, if any, they played in the attack that stunned New Zealand, a country so peaceful that police officers rarely carry guns.
“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” prime minister Jacinda Ardern said, noting that many of the victims could be migrants or refugees.
She pronounced it “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.
The gunman who carried out at least one of the mosque attacks left a jumbled, 74-page manifesto that he posted on social media under the name Brenton Tarrant, identifying himself as a 28-year-old Australian and white supremacist who was out to avenge attacks in Europe perpetrated by Muslims.
He also live-streamed in graphic detail his rampage at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, where, armed with at least two assault rifles and a shotgun, he sprayed worshippers with bullets over and over, killing at least 41 people.
Several more people were killed in an attack on a second mosque in the city a short time later.
In the video, the killer spends more than two minutes inside the mosque spraying terrified worshippers with gunfire. He then walks outside, where he shoots at people.
Children’s screams can be heard as he returns to his car to get another rifle.