Fifty people are confirmed dead after Friday’s shootings at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island. Forty-two people died at Al Noor mosque and seven at Linwood mosque. Another victim died later at hospital.
As of Sunday, 34 people remained in hospital, including a four-year-old girl who is in a critical condition.
A 28-year-old Australian man named Brenton Tarrant appeared in court in Christchurch on Saturday charged with murder. 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 in his vehicle. She said the weapons used in the attack were modified.
Tarrant remains the only person charged in relation to the attacks. A woman apprehended at the scene was released without charge. Another 18-year-old man arrested in a vehicle has been charged with firearm offences unrelated to the terrorist attack.
New Zealand’s cabinet meets on Monday to discuss changing gun laws 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. Some names have begun to emerge, including a three-year-old boy who was at Al Noor mosque with his father and older brother.
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. Facebook has said it removed 1.5m videos of the attack in the first 24 hours.
Ardern spoke 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 Francisco and Los Angeles announcing plans to ramp up police presence around local mosques where many worshippers were headed for Friday prayers.
Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day. In New Zealand, the crisis support service Lifeline can be reached on 0800 543 354. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Irish Republic, contact Samaritans on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.
