It was then that Wahabzadah said he returned to the mosque to discover the scope of the violence. He said he continued chasing after him but the shooter did a U-turn and raced off. “When he sees me I am chasing with a gun, he sat in his car”, Wahabzadah said. “And I just got the gun and throw it on his window like an arrow and blast his window. He thought probably I shot him or something and then he drive off." Wahabzadah told CNN he ran after the shooter and picked up a discarded weapon of the gunman, which he described as a “shotgun." He threw it at the gunman’s car, shattering his window. Wahabzadah said the shooter then dropped his weapon and ran back to his car. Wahabzadah said he thought the shooter went to get more weapons from his car. Wahabzadah’s four children were inside the mosque. “I was screaming at the guy, ‘Come here, I’m here’," Wahabzadah told CNN. "I just want him to put more focus on me than go inside the masjid (“mosque”). But unfortunately, he got himself to the masjid.” He threw the credit card reader at the suspect while shouting at him in an attempt to distract the shooter away from the mosque. Wahabzadah grabbed a credit card reader and ran outside the building. (AP/Mark Baker)Ībdul Aziz Wahabzadah says he was inside Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, when a gunman opened fire. Multiple people were killed during shootings at two mosques full of people attending Friday prayers. “Anyone who calls New Zealand home, regardless of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation should be safe.Police stand outside a mosque in Linwood in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15. “Ultimately, this roughly 800-page report can be distilled into one simple premise: Muslim New Zealanders should be safe,” she said. But the 800-page report concluded that while mistakes had been made, the attacks could not have been prevented.įollowing its release, Ardern apologised for the government’s shortcomings, and acknowledged its failings. Then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern moved quickly to tighten gun laws in the aftermath of the attacks and put pressure on social media giants to curb online extremism.Ī Royal Commission of Inquiry into the shootings found that intelligence services had been distracted from far-right threats because they were too focused on the “threat of Islamist extremist” activity. The families of the victims “are united in their pursuit of understanding, seeking clarity on whether their loved ones could have survived”, Galal added. “This pursuit of truth is crucial for healing and closure,” said Maha Galal, spokesperson for the 15 March Whanau Trust representing some of the victims’ relatives. A further search of his cellphone showed that he had forwarded the mosque shooting video on May 19, last year. The inquest will examine the response times of police and emergency services, the medical response at each of the mosques, whether Tarrant was helped in planning the attack, and whether any lives could have been saved. A copy of the mosque shooter’s first video that he live-streamed was also found. Two people died from their injuries in hospital. His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly. Observers were shown a harrowing video depicting the gunman’s movements around Christchurch on the day of the attack, including footage he had filmed using a GoPro camera.Īrmed with semiautomatic weapons, Tarrant first attacked Friday worshippers at Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque before driving to the nearby Linwood Islamic Centre, livestreaming the killings. Windley is not expected to release her findings until some time in 2024. The inquiry will examine 10 issues including the response by emergency services and hospital staff, whether the gunman had direct assistance from any other person and the cause of death for each of the deceased. The gunman, Australian Brenton Tarrant, is now serving a whole-life sentence in prison after being convicted on 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act.įamily and friends packed the court for the emotionally charged opening session, which included a traditional Maori welcome, a reading from the Quran and a moving video tribute to each of the victims. The Maattacks in the southern city were the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, and shocked the country. Windley said the inquiry, which is scheduled to last six weeks, would “seek to shine a light” on what happened and would consider making recommendations to reduce the chances of a similar event happening again. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Christchurch, COVID-19: Jacinda Ardern’s years in office list 2 of 4 Christchurch attack film slammed over ‘white saviour’ narrative list 3 of 4 Survivors of Christchurch attacks react to sentencing list 4 of 4 New Zealand mosque shooter sentenced to life without parole end of list
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