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New Zealand Mosque Shootings Leave 49 Dead New Zealand Mosque Shootings Leave 49 Dead
(about 1 hour later)
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A gunman opened fire on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, killing 49 people in an afternoon slaughter that in part was broadcast live online after the publication of a white supremacist manifesto. WELLINGTON, New Zealand — At least 49 people were killed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, in a horrific and methodical afternoon slaughter, part of which was broadcast live on the internet after the publication of a white supremacist manifesto online.
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, said that in addition to those killed, 20 were seriously injured, shaking a country with little history of mass shooting in what she called “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.” The massacre, which Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, condemned as a terrorist attack and called “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence,” interrupted a day of prayer for a small immigrant community in the nation’s third-largest city and shook a country with little history of mass shooting.
Some of the shootings were streamed on Facebook, a grim development in terrorism that raised questions about the ability of tech companies to block violent content. Harrowing first-person footage, apparently from a camera worn by a gunman as he attacked the Al Noor Mosque in the center of the city, was streamed on Facebook, a grim development in terrorism that raised questions about the ability of global tech companies to block violent content from spreading around the world.
[Follow our live briefing here.][Follow our live briefing here.]
The police said three men and one woman were in custody. One of those in custody is Australian, said the country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison. Facebook said it quickly shut down the account, but a 17-minute video showing a man dressed in black shooting at fleeing worshipers and into piles of bodies with a semiautomatic rifle circulated widely online. In addition to those killed, at least 20 were injured, the authorities said.
New Zealand’s police commissioner, Mike Bush, said that a number of explosive devices were found in vehicles stopped by the police. The police warned residents of central Christchurch to stay indoors and asked mosques to close. The police said a man in his late 20s was arrested and charged with murder but declined to identify him. The police also said they seized several weapons and found two explosive devices on a vehicle.
“This is and will be one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” Ms. Ardern said at a news conference.“This is and will be one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” Ms. Ardern said at a news conference.
“It is clear that this can only be described as a terrorist attack,” she added. Schools in the downtown area were locked down for hours after the attacks as the police tried to determine whether the gunman acted alone. The authorities urged residents to stay indoors, asked mosques to close and cleared nearby Cathedral Square, where people had gathered as part of worldwide protests to demand action on climate change.
Mr. Bush said a mosque on Deans Avenue near Hagley Park, in the center of the city, and a mosque on Linwood Avenue, about three miles away, were attacked. New Zealand’s police commissioner, Mike Bush, said three other individuals found near the scene with weapons were also taken into custody, though investigators later said that one probably had nothing to do with the attacks.
The attacks began at about 1:40 p.m., not long after the midday Friday prayer, when the mosques would be most busy. Ms. Ardern said that many of the victims were most likely migrants to New Zealand or even refugees. The shootings were first reported at about 1:40 p.m., around the time of the midday Friday prayer, when the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Mosque, about three miles east, would be most busy. Minutes earlier, Mr. Bush said, the manifesto appeared online.
“They are one of us,” she said. “The person who has perpetrated these acts is not.” The document named both mosques, and links to it were posted on Twitter and 8chan, an online forum known for hosting message boards with extremist right-wing discussions. The 8chan post included a link to what appeared to be the gunman’s Facebook page, where he said he would soon broadcast live video of the attack.
Shortly before the shooting, someone appearing to be the gunman publicly posted links to a manifesto on Twitter and 8chan, an online forum. The 8chan post included a link to what appeared to be the gunman’s Facebook page, where he said he would soon broadcast live video of the attack. Ms. Ardern said that many of the victims were most likely migrants to New Zealand or refugees.
The 17-minute video, which appeared to be recorded on a helmet camera, shows his drive to the mosque, followed by a harrowing nearly two minutes of his firing on the worshipers in one of the mosques before fleeing the building and running back to his car and swapping weapons. “Christchurch was the home of these victims,” she said. “For many this may not have been the place they were born. For many, New Zealand was their choice, the place that they chose to come to and committed themselves to, the place they chose to raise their families.”
He then is seen re-entering the mosque and again begins shooting, continuing to methodically move through the mosque. Several victims can be seen in the footage, many lying on top of one another motionless in a corner of the room. She added that New Zealand was likely targeted “because we represent diversity, kindness, compassion, a home for those who share our values, refuge for those who need it.”
After another few minutes, he leaves again, gets in his vehicle and drives away, talking to himself throughout. Nasreen Hanif, a spokeswoman for the Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand, said people were anxious for updates and were worried that friends or family members were among the dead.
“Nobody’s answering their phones,” she said. “We don’t know if they’re at the hospital or out of reach. Some have posted that they are safe, but others have not.”
Ms. Hanif said the two mosques in Christchurch had asked for help from Muslims across the country to arrange the 49 funerals they would need to plan.
Historians say Muslims have lived in New Zealand for more than 150 years, but the population has grown with immigration from war-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan in the 1990s and 2000s. In a country of nearly five million people, though, only about 46,000 identified as Muslim in the 2013 census.
The video of the attack, which appeared to be recorded on a helmet camera, showed the gunman driving to the mosque and then opening fire even before he entered the building. For nearly two minutes, he shoots at fleeing worshipers before he leaves, runs back to his car and swaps weapons.
He then is seen re-entering the mosque and opening fire again, methodically moving from room to room and shooting into piles of bodies slumped on the green carpets. Several victims can be seen in the footage, many lying on top of one another motionless in a corner of the room.
After another few minutes, he leaves again, gets in his vehicle and drives away, pausing occasionally to fire at pedestrians and talking to himself throughout.
“There wasn’t even time to aim, there was so many targets,” he says at one point.“There wasn’t even time to aim, there was so many targets,” he says at one point.
The New Zealand police said on Twitter they were “aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online,” and urged people not to share the link. “We are working to have any footage removed,” the police said. The police in New Zealand said they were working to remove the video from the internet and urged people not to share it.
Facebook said it was alerted by the police shortly after the livestream started. “We quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video,” Mia Garlick, a Facebook representative, said in a statement. “We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.”Facebook said it was alerted by the police shortly after the livestream started. “We quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video,” Mia Garlick, a Facebook representative, said in a statement. “We’re also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware.”
The video and Twitter posts showed weapons covered in the names of past military generals and men who have recently carried out mass shootings.The video and Twitter posts showed weapons covered in the names of past military generals and men who have recently carried out mass shootings.
In his manifesto, he identified himself as a 28-year-old man born in Australia. He listed his white nationalist heroes, described what he said motivated him to attack, and said he purposely used guns to stir discord in the United States around the Second Amendment. The author of the manifesto identifies himself as a 28-year-old man born in Australia. He listed his white nationalist heroes, described his animosity toward Muslims and immigrants, and said he chose to use guns in the attacks to stir discord in the United States around the Second Amendment.
The website Stuff reported that the police had cleared Cathedral Square, about halfway between the two mosques, where people had gathered at a rally to fight climate change. Aman Singh, 26, who works at a convenience store close to the Al Noor Mosque, said he hid after hearing gunshots and seeing people stream past, bloody and crying.
Aman Singh, who works at a convenience store close to the Deans Avenue mosque, said he heard gunshots and shortly afterward people streamed past, bloody and crying.
Mr. Singh, 26, said he knew several people who worshiped at the mosque.
“My really good friend goes there,” he said, adding that he had not been able to confirm the friend’s whereabouts.“My really good friend goes there,” he said, adding that he had not been able to confirm the friend’s whereabouts.
Mr. Singh hid in the store with his wife while they waited for the police to arrive. He said they would be unlikely to be able to return home anyway, as their street was cordoned off because it was close to the Linwood Mosque that was also attacked. Mohammad Isam, a Bangladeshi journalist, posted a video of members of Bangladesh’s national cricket team who he said escaped the attack.
While the details of the shooting were still unclear, one purported witness, Mohammad Isam, a Bangladeshi journalist, posted a video of members of Bangladesh’s national cricket team who he said escaped the attack.
The video showed several men in the team’s jersey walking briskly through a park with the message, “Bangladesh team escaped from a mosque near Hagley Park where there were active shooters. They ran back through Hagley Park back to the Oval,” referring to the nearby cricket ground.
Ms. Ardern canceled her events for the rest of the day after the shooting.
The shooting happened a day after the country’s minister for climate change, James Shaw, 45, told the police that he was grabbed and hit on the street in the country’s capital, Wellington.
Reports of the shooting happened as young protesters were gathering in Christchurch and cities around the world to demand action on climate change.
Christchurch, with about 388,000 residents, is the biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island, hugging the Pacific Ocean coast.Christchurch, with about 388,000 residents, is the biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island, hugging the Pacific Ocean coast.
There hasn’t been a mass shooting in New Zealand since 1990, when a man killed 13 people, including two 6-year-olds, after a dispute with his neighbor in the seaside town of Aramoana.There hasn’t been a mass shooting in New Zealand since 1990, when a man killed 13 people, including two 6-year-olds, after a dispute with his neighbor in the seaside town of Aramoana.
That shooting led to tightened gun laws, including restrictions on “military style semiautomatic weapons.”That shooting led to tightened gun laws, including restrictions on “military style semiautomatic weapons.”
Gun owners must be licensed, a process that includes a review of criminal activity and mental health, attendance at a safety program, an explanation of how the gun would be used, a residence visit to ensure secure storage, and testimonials from relatives and friends.Gun owners must be licensed, a process that includes a review of criminal activity and mental health, attendance at a safety program, an explanation of how the gun would be used, a residence visit to ensure secure storage, and testimonials from relatives and friends.
Murders are rare in New Zealand, and gun homicides even rarer. There were 35 murders countrywide in 2017. Since 2007, gun homicides have been in the single digits each year except 2009, when there were 11.Murders are rare in New Zealand, and gun homicides even rarer. There were 35 murders countrywide in 2017. Since 2007, gun homicides have been in the single digits each year except 2009, when there were 11.
But there are plenty of guns. There were 1.2 million registered firearms in a country of 4.6 million people in 2017, according to the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss nonprofit.But there are plenty of guns. There were 1.2 million registered firearms in a country of 4.6 million people in 2017, according to the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss nonprofit.