At least 40 people have been killed and 20 seriously injured after gunmen opened fire in two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch Friday, a coordinated and unprecedented attack that has shocked the usually peaceful nation.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern called the incident a terrorist attack in a Friday press conference, saying the suspects held “extremist views” that have no place in New Zealand or the world.
She confirmed that thirty people were killed when gunmen stormed the al Noor mosque on Deans Avenue. Ten people died at the Linwood mosque on Linwood Avenue, including three who were found outside the building.
Both mosques are in Christchurch’s city center and police have placed the two locations on lockdown.
A total of 48 patients, including young children with gunshot wounds, have been admitted to Christchurch hospital for treatment.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said four people were into custody — three men and one woman. Police do not believe there are any other suspects but said it was still an open investigation.
Ardern said that three of the people in police custody are linked to the attack, with the fourth person not being a threat to the public. None of the four had been on any security watch lists prior to the attack, she said.
Two improvised explosive devices were attached to vehicles as part of the attack. These had been “made safe by the defense force,” Bush said.
“This goes to the seriousness of the situation,” he said.
Police were still treating the incident as ongoing into Friday evening local time and urged Christchurch residents to stay indoors and monitor the police website and social media.
The situation was also considered as not limited to Christchurch and Bush asked “anyone who was thinking of going to a mosque anywhere in New Zealand today not to go. To close your doors until you hear from us again,” he said.
In a press conference, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the attack as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”
“What has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence,” she said, adding that the attackers have “no place in New Zealand.”
“For now my thoughts and I’m sure the thoughts of all New Zealanders are with those who have been affected their families,” she said.
Police said they have mobilized every national police resource to respond to the incident and counter-terrorism.
CNN