Man Dressed In Military Outfit Started Random Firing At Mosque In New Zealand: What We Know So Far

Calling Friday as "one of New Zealand's darkest days", country¡¯s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the cowardly attack in which at least one gunman opened fire at two mosques during the morning prayers.

At least 49 people were confirmed dead and at least 20 others were injured in the Christchurch shootings, Adern informed. Officials said that they had found explosives attached to vehicles that they had stopped.

The city is on SOS alert and the policemen have four people in their custody though, they cannot rule out the possibility that other gunmen were still on the run. Three men and one woman have been detained by the New Zealand police. The policemen reported that multiple casualties had taken place at the two mosques.

Photo: AFP

"As far as we know (the shootings occurred) at two locations, a mosque at Deans Avenue, and another mosque at Linwood Avenue," Police Commissioner Mike Bush told CNN.

The mass shootings took place in central Christchurch, close to where school children were taking part in the Global Climate Strike protest.

Video footage widely circulated on social media, apparently taken by a gunman and posted online live as the attack unfolded, showed him driving to one mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.

Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay huddled on the floor of the mosque, the video showed.

AFP

The authenticity of the footage could not be confirmed. The police have even requested the users to stop sharing the graphic footage of the church. One of the witnesses named Mohan Ibn Ibrahim said he was inside the mosque when the shooting began and that he heard the gunman "continuously shooting for ten to 15 minutes."

The online video footage appeared to have been captured on a camera strapped to the gunman¡¯s head. Reuters even reported that the gunman after the first round of shooting had come back to the parking lot to change guns and went back to shoot anyone showing signs of life.

Radio New Zealand quoted a witness inside the Al Noor mosque saying he heard shots fired and at least four people were lying on the ground and ¡°there was blood everywhere¡±.

PM Ardern called the attack ¡°an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.¡± ¡°Many of those who would have been affected by this shooting may be migrants to New Zealand,¡± she further said.

In response to a serious ongoing firearms incident in Christchurch all Christchurch schools have been placed into lockdown. Police urge anyone in central Christchurch to stay off the streets and report any suspicious behaviour immediately to 111.

¡ª New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) March 15, 2019

People have been asked to stay away from the streets and from the mosque. Witnesses told media that a man dressed in a military-style, camouflage outfit, and carrying an automatic rifle had started randomly shooting people in the Al Noor mosque.The Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for Friday prayers when the shooting occurred but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.

Christchurch is a coastal city and the second most populous city in New Zealand behind Auckland and Wellington.

A 28-year-old suspect named Brenton Harrison Tarrant was arrested in relation to this incident who is believed to be an Australian national. He has been charged with court of murder though, officials said that more charges against him were forthcoming.

This is an updating story, more details to follow.