REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS

MUCAD IBRAHIM, 3

The toddler was visiting the mosque with his older brother, Abdi, and their father, both of whom survived the attack. Abdi told reporters that in the chaos, he fled the building while his father, who had been shot, played dead and they lost track of Mucad, whom he described as “energetic, playful and liked to smile and laugh a lot”.

ATTA ELAYYAN, 33

The Kuwait-born goalkeeper for New Zealand’s futsal team “ran towards the shooter to stop him, very bravely”, friend Ghassan Alaraji told 9News. “He tried to get up and he was shot again.” He leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old daughter. “He was just a true gentleman, a true leader, someone who was there for everyone,” friend Ronan Naicker told CNN. “He was a really intelligent guy.”

NAEEM RASHID, 50

In a video of the attack at the Al Noor mosque, the Pakistan-born teacher is seen attempting to tackle the gunman. “He was a brave person,” his brother Khurshid Alam told the BBC. “They've said he saved a few lives there by trying to stop that guy.” Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted Rashid’s “courage will be recognised with a national award”.

TALHA RASHID, 21

Naeem Rashid’s son Talha was 11 when the family moved to New Zealand. He had just sourced a new job and was hoping to get married soon. “A few days ago, when I spoke to Naeem Rasheed, he told me about his plans to come to Pakistan and get his son married,” said Talha’s uncle. Another of Naeem Rashid's sons is being treated for his injuries.

LINDA ARMSTRONG, 65

The New Zealand native “had a huge heart and was willing to help out anyone who needed it,” Armstrong's family said in a statement. “She befriended many travellers, immigrants and refugees. Opening her home, her heart and her kitchen.”

HOSNE ARA PARVIN, 42

The mum of a baby daughter was reportedly in the women’s area of the mosque and was searching to protect her wheelchair-bound husband, Farid Uddin, when she was killed. “I don't have any grudge against [the shooter],” Mr Uddin told reporters. “I have forgiven him, and I’m praying for him that God will guide him.”

SAYYAD MILNE, 14

The Year 10 Cashmere High student was a sports-loving teenager described by his family as “a regular, typical, Kiwi kid”. His mother, Noraini, managed to flee the carnage, but Sayyad was cut down as the terrorist made his way through the building. “He was a loving and kind brother,” said his sister Cahaya. “He will be greatly missed.”

HAJI-DAOUD NABI, 71

Nabi came to New Zealand from Afghanistan in 1977 and was a beloved community leader. His son, Yama Nabi, was running late for a meeting with his father at the mosque and escaped the shooting by minutes. He told assembled media on March 16 that his father “jumped in the firing line to save somebody else’s life”.

KHALED MUSTAFA, 45

Khaled Alhaj Mustafa was a Syrian who arrived in New Zealand with his family recently. Both he and his eldest son, Hamza (right), died. His youngest son, Zaid, 13, was seriously injured and underwent a six-hour operation in Christchurch hospital, where he is recovering.

HAMZA MUSTAFA, 16

When the shooting started, Hamza called his mother, Salwa, on the phone. “I heard shooting and he screamed and after that I didn't hear him,” she told website stuff.co.nz. After 22 minutes, “someone picked up the phone and told me, ‘Your son can’t breathe, I think he’s dead.’” Says Salwa: “Our lives are completely changed.”