Christchurch: An Australian gunman involved in attacks on New Zealand mosques yesterday that left at least 49 people dead published a racist manifesto on Twitter beforehand then livestreamed his rampage.
The New Zealand government said it could be illegal to share the video, which showed the gunman repeatedly shooting at worshippers from close range.
"Police are aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online," New Zealand police said in a Twitter post.
"We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. We are working to have any footage removed."
Facebook video shows a clean-shaven, Caucasian man with short hair driving to the Masjid al Noor mosque in central Christchurch, then shooting as he entered the building.
The manifesto detailing motivations for the attack was posted yesterday morning onto a Twitter account with the same name and profile image as the Facebook page that streamed the attack.
Entitled "The Great Replacement", the 74-page document said the gunman had wanted to attack Muslims.
The manifesto said the gunman identified himself as an Australia-born, 28-year-old white male from a low-income, working-class family.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday confirmed the attacker at the Masjid al Noor mosque was an Australian.
"We stand here and condemn, absolutely the attack that occurred today by an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist," Mr Morrison told a press conference.
New Zealand authorities said that three people had been arrested, but their identities were not made public.
They later announced one man, aged in his late 20s, had been charged with murder and should appear in court today.
The authenticity of the livestreamed video was confirmed partly by matching the distinctive features at the mosque seen in the footage with images available online.
These included a fence, postbox and doorway at the entrance to the mosque.
Inside the mosque, the gunman's footage showed a distinctively patterned green carpet that also matched images tagged on Google Maps as being at the same location.
Satellite navigational audio could also be heard in the video as the gunman drove to the mosque, which was tracked on Google StreetView showing his route for the two kilometres leading there.
The gunman spoke only occasionally while in the car, speaking in what sounded like an Australian accent.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said there were no reports that any Thais had been killed or injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent messages of condolences to their New Zealand counterparts Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters.
"In this moment of bereavement, the Royal Thai Government joins the international community in condemning this hideous crime. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of New Zealand during this very difficult period," the prime minister wrote.
Mr Don wrote, "The Royal Thai Government strongly condemns these terrorist acts and remains firmly committed to cooperating closely with New Zealand and the international community in the concerted effort to fight against the scourge of terrorism."
