- Forty-nine people are confirmed dead after Friday’s shootings at two mosques in the city in New Zealand’s South Island. Forty-one people died at Al Noor mosque and seven at Linwood mosque. Another victim died later at hospital.
- A 28-year-old Australian man named Brenton Tarrant has appeared in court in Christchurch charged with murder. The judge said on Saturday morning he expected more charges to be laid. No application for bail was made and he is due to appear in court again on 5 April.
- The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern has said the suspect planned to continue his attack and had two other firearms were in his vehicle. She said the weapons used in the attack were modified.
- New Zealand’s police commissioner, Mike Bush has said police “are not searching for anyone posing a threat but that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist”. Bush said the main suspect, one of four who were initially arrested, was taken into custody 36 minutes after the first emergency calls came in.
- A 14-year-old boy, Sayyad Milne, was among those who died, his father confirmed.
- Arden said on Saturday 39 people are in hospital, 11 are in intensive care, ranging from children to the elderly.
- The chief of surgery at Christchurch hospital, Greg Robertson, said 12 operating theatres worked through the night. Robertson said many will need multiple operations.
- Arden has said the nation’s gun laws will change after it emerged the main suspect held a firearms licence and said he had been legally stockpiling weapons since 2017. Ardern said he was carrying five firearms at the time of the attacks, including two semi-automatic weapons and two shotguns.
- The attorney general, David Parker, said the government would ban semi-automatic rifles, warning of a global rise in extremism. “There is a dimming of enlightenment in many parts of the world,” he is quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.
- Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have all said their citizens were affected in the attack, though few victims have yet been named. People can register missing persons or themselves as alive at this website.
- The Queen, Theresa May, Pope Francis, Donald Trump and other world leaders expressed sorrow, shock and anger.
- The attack, launched during Friday prayers when both mosques were packed, was livestreamed via a camera strapped to the perpetrator. Horrific images of bloodshed and people desperately trying to evade the gunman were copied and shared on social media sites including YouTube.
- Two others arrested at the scene with guns are under investigation. A fourth detainee may have had nothing to do with the attack, according to Bush.
- The suspects were unknown to the police, butBush said the attack was well planned.
- Ardern spoke earlier of the attacker’s motivation, saying the victims might include refugees and migrants. “They are us,” she said, before saying the perpetrator “has no place in New Zealand”.
- Worshippers inside one of the mosques have spoken of their terror as the gunman filmed his rampage.
- Bangladesh’s cricket team “just escaped” after shots were fired near to where the team was due to play their final Test match of their New Zealand tour. They sheltered in the dressing rooms at Hagley Oval before being taken to their hotel. The opening batsman, Tamim Iqbal, described the experience as “frightening”.
- US mosques went on high alert after the attack, with authorities in New York, Chicago, San Fransisco and Los Angeles announcing plans to ramp up police presence around local mosques where many worshippers were headed for Friday prayers.
Courtesy:
www.theguardian.com
