(The following was taken from the BBC reports on the Mass Shootings that took place at MOSQUES IN THE CITY OF CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND. As you can see, Far Right Fanaticism is not just a problem in the U.S. I was first made aware of this horrific event by a high school classmate and friend who is a resident of the city.)
Christchurch shootings: 49 dead in New Zealand mosque attacks.
Forty-nine people have been killed and at least 20 wounded in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as a terrorist attack and one of New Zealand's "darkest days". It is the nation's deadliest attack.
A gunman identifying himself as an Australian live-streamed the rampage at Al Noor mosque to Facebook.
A man in his late 20s has been arrested and charged with murder. Two other men and one woman were also detained.
Firearms and explosive devices were recovered, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said. One of those detained was later released.
The gunman live-streaming the attack from a head-mounted camera said he was a 28-year-old Australian called Brenton Tarrant. The footage showed him firing indiscriminately at men, women and children from close range inside the Al Noor mosque.
Police called on the public not to share the "extremely distressing" footage online. Facebook said it had removed the gunman's Facebook and Instagram accounts and was working to remove any copies of the footage.
The suspect who was charged appeared to have published a document before the attack outlining his intentions and in which he espoused far right and anti-immigrant ideology. He is due in court on Saturday morning.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the man as an "extremist, right-wing" terrorist. Police Commissioner Bush confirmed that the man was not known in advance to either New Zealand or Australian security services.
- Witnesses 'prayed for end to bullets'
- Bangladesh cricket team escapes shooting
- UK mosque security under review
New Zealand police said that officers had gone to a property in the city of Dunedin in connection with the attack in Christchurch.
"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Ardern said in a press conference.
In a tweet, she said: "What has happened in Christchurch is an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence. It has no place in New Zealand. Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities - New Zealand is their home - they are us."
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