Christchurch, New Zealand, March 16, 2019 (AFP) -A survivor of the Christchurch massacre has described how a heroic worshipper at one of the targeted mosques seized an empty rifle discarded by alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant and then used it to chase their attacker away.Alabi Lateef said he was praying with others inside Linwood Masjid, the second mosque attacked on Friday by self-confessed white supremacist Tarrant, when he heard the sound of gunfire."Straight away I stopped my prayer, I peek through the window and I found a person with, you know, machine gun and heavy dress," he told news website Stuff."By the time I peeked on the floor I see two, three dead bodies. Then realised oh, this must be something else. This is a terrorist attack."Alabi said he told worshippers to duck down and then described how he and a "brother" decided to confront the attacker during a lull in the gunfire."By the time he got there (outside the mosque) the bullets were finished and the gun was used," Lateef recounted.The pair noticed Tarrant had left the spent rifle on the ground as he returned towards his car.So Lateef´s unnamed fellow worshipper seized the initiative and grabbed the rifle, following the attacker to his car and using it to smash the vehicle´s back window before running away.The pair´s actions may have saved further casualties, as Tarrant was apprehended by two armed police officers not far from Linwood mosque soon afterwards while driving his car with a visibly smashed back window.Tarrant used Facebook to live broadcast his initial assault on the Noor Mosque, where at least 40 worshippers were murdered and dozens more wounded.In that opening attack, footage from his broadcast showed Tarrant mercilessly spraying bullets inside the mosque and then returning to his car to fetch a new rifle.He then walked back inside and started shooting again.Footage from the attack also shows at least one worshipper at the Noor Mosque who was gunned down while trying to charge Tarrant during his rampage.Lateef was photographed soon after the attack by local media wearing a grey shalwar kameez tunic that was covered in blood.He told Stuff that as soon as the attacker had left he ran back inside the mosque to help those who had been shot."I´m very sad for what has happened but I believe this country is a peaceful country and I hope something good will happen after this," he said, fighting back tears."I never thought something like this would happen in New Zeland. Never."
from The News International - World https://ift.tt/2HmZCKh
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Hero charged attacker during New Zealand mosque massacre: witness
Related Posts:
UK holds largest Baltic naval drills in century to deter RussiaKLAIPEDA: The UK pledged to boost defence of the Baltic states to deter a "more assertive" Russia as the British navy held its largest drills in the Baltic region, which includes a Russian territory, in more than a cent… Read More
Cocaine production hit new record in 2017: UN reportVIENNA: Global cocaine production reached an all-time high in 2017, breaking the previous year´s record by 25 percent, the UN drugs and crime agency said Wednesday in its annual report, as production soars in post-conflict Co… Read More
Facebook's Instagram expands ads to Explore feedsWASHINGTON: Instagram said Wednesday it planned to launch advertising on its Explore page, expanding marketing opportunities on the Facebook-owned, visual-focused social network.In the coming months, ads will appear on the Ex… Read More
Hawaii decriminalizes marijuanaLOS ANGELES: The US state of Hawaii decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis on Tuesday, joining two dozen other US states that have adopted similar measures.Under the new law, anyone with up to three gram… Read More
Canada lists two far-right groups as terroristOTTAWA: Canada on Wednesday placed far right organizations on its terror watch list for the first time, after intelligence services said they had raised their level of vigilance on two groups.Public Safety Canada published an… Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment