New Zealand - What we know so far:
At least one gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, at 1.40pm local time on FridayPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declared the attack a terrorist attack
49 people have been killed - 41 were killed at Masjid Al Noor Mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid Mosque and one died at hospital
48 people were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and 20 are in critical condition
A gunman live-streamed his deadly attack on Facebook using a GoPro in footage too distressing to show
It was posted on a Facebook page belonging to Brenton Tarrant
It is understood the killer is an Australian who published a chilling 74-page manifesto before the rampage
Cops have arrested three men and a woman, with initial reports of one wearing a suicide vest proven incorrect
A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow
Two others remain in custody and it is not clear if the fourth person was involved in the attack
Police are searching a property on Somerville Street, Dunedin in relation to today's attack
New Zealand and Australian authorities have confirmed the suspects were not on any watch lists
The Bangladesh cricket team were at one of the mosques and escaped the shooting
Cops defused improvised explosives found on nearby booby-trapped cars
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it "one of New Zealand's darkest days"
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared the mosque massacres a "terrorist attack" and said it was one of the country's "darkest days".
Three men and one woman are in custody following the shootings at Masjid Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Masjid Mosque in Christchurch at around 1.40pm local time.
Initial reports one of those arrested was wearing a suicide vest were incorrect, as cops warned "let's not presume the danger has gone".
New Zealand Police commissioner Mike Bush said a man in his late twenties has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow.
He added police were still trying to establish if the other three were involved, though one likely had "nothing to do with this incident".
Police also defused a number of improvised explosives which were found on nearby booby-trapped cars following the bloodbath.
Ardern confirmed 41 people were killed at the Masjid Al Noor Mosque and a further seven were killed at the Linwood Masjid Mosque. One person later died from their wounds at hospital.
As she raised the country's security to the highest level, the PM said: "It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack."
She said the four people in police custody held extremist views, but had not been on any police watchlists.
"It's not a matter of someone having slipped under the radar," the PM said.
One white-supremacist gunmen filmed the footage - too shocking to show in its entirety - on a GoPro camera and streamed it to a Facebook page.
He fired automatic weapons as people ran for their lives and executed people at point blank range - including one girl who lay on the floor screaming for help.
Full story with video:
Comments (22)
I have specially wait for to see Diamond commenting here.....only to figure out, what kind of person is he really.....but no response from him, what tells enough for me, who he is, in the real.
No matter who is the victims of terrorism, my heart is fully with everyone of them
BREAKING: Stranger attempts to enter court to stab Christchurch terror attacker. He has reportedly been arrested.
one person i know lost two connections there.
this gun has nothing to do with civilians.
He shot
he executed hurt people and gained nothing
Those in the hospital in critical conditions
but what I have, it is indeed so very sad
Australia would not allow them in until much later.
Don't know about NZ but imagine it would have been the same
I have to agree with you. When it comes to non muslim attacked the muslims. Very little comments. But when extremist muslim did it...the blog will be ton of comments.
My condolence to the all victims in New Zealand.. may this tragedy will never happen again.
We all see and hear our governments talking, media too, but we then do not go our and indiscriminately go out and kill.
This is so so sad
So much sadness everywhere,189 people killed in a plane crash
It is all too much pain for so many
the white nationalists uprising as a real threat
May these fully recover.............
if that crazy killer, has really answered in the way, that it is shown in the video, then the media twist everything to what they want it to be and not to what it is.
Also it looks to be made political, when the guy is telling something else.....what means, that the politicians is using it as a tool to get their own agenda heard.