49 Dead in New Zealand Mosque Shootings

49 Dead in New Zealand Mosque Shootings

Two deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand leave 49 people dead.

At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of people attending Friday night prayers. 

The deadliest attack occurred at the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch at about 1:45 p.m., when 41 people were killed. Witnesses told local news stations that a man dressed in black entered the mosque and then began shooting into the crowd. The suspect dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in the driveway of a neighbor house and fled. 

A witness said they noticed the suspect had a helmet with some type of device on top, giving him a military appearance. It was later learned that a video was being live-streamed by the shooter, showing the attack in horrifying detail. The video shows the gunman spending more than two minutes inside the mosque shooting victims. The suspect can then be seen shooting outside of the mosque and then entering a car where music plays and he drives off.

During a second shooting at the Linwood mosque, about three miles away from the Al Noor mosque, seven people were killed and one person died later at the hospital due to a gunshot wound sustained in the second attack.

Police took three men and a woman into custody after the shootings, which shocked people across the national of more than five million people. Police later said one of the arrests didn't relate to the shootings, but that one man had been arrested and charged for murder. Police did not say if the man charged with murder was responsible for both shootings.

The two other suspects were being held in custody. Police say they are trying to determine how they might be involved in the plot.

While there is no reason to believe there are more suspects, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the national security threat level was being raise from low to high, the second-highest level.

National carrier Air New Zealand cancelled at least 17 flights in and out of Christchurch, saying it couldn't properly screen the customers and their baggage following the shootings.

Ardern alluded at a news conference to anti-immigrant sentiment as the possible motive, saying that while many people affected by the shootings may be migrants or refugees, "they have chosen to make New Zealand their home and it is their home. They are us."

In addition to the weapons used for the shootings, police say they found two improvised explosive devices in one car, a clarification from an earlier statement that there were devices in multiple vehicles.

Mass shootings in New Zealand are rare. Before Friday's attack, the deadliest shooting in modern history occurred in the small torn of Aramoana in 1990, when a gunman shot and killed 13 people following a dispute with a neighbor.


About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Live From ISC West: Day 2 Recap

    If it’s even possible, Day 2 of ISC West in Las Vegas, Nevada, was even busier than the first. Remember to keep tabs on our Live From ISC West page for news and updates from the show floor at the Venetian, because there’s more news coming out than anyone could be expected to keep track of. Our Live From sponsors—NAPCO Security, Alibi Security, Vistacom, RGB Spectrum, and DoorKing—kept the momentum from Day 1 going with packed booths, happy hours, giveaways, product demonstrations, and more. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Visiting Sin City

    I’m a recovering alcoholic, ten years sober this June. I almost wrote “recovered alcoholic,” because it’s a problem I’ve long since put to bed in every practical sense. But anyone who’s dealt with addiction knows that that part of your brain never goes away. You just learn to tell the difference between that insidious voice in your head and your actual internal monologue, and you get better at telling the other guy to shut up. Read Now

  • On My Way Out the Door

    To answer that one question I always get, at every booth visit, I have seen amazing product technology, solutions and above all else, the people that make it all work. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Return to Form

    My first security trade show was in 2021. At the time, I was awed by the sheer magnitude of the event and the spectacle of products on display. But this was the first major trade show coming out of the pandemic, and the only commentary I heard was how low the attendance was. Two representatives from one booth even spent the last morning playing catch in the aisle with their giveaway stress balls. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • PDK IO Access Control Software

    PDK.IO Access Control Software

    ProdataKey now allows for "custom fields" within the interface of its pdk.io software. Custom fields increase PDK's solutions' overall functionality by allowing administrators to include a wide range of pertinent data associated with each user. 3

  • Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software

    Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software

    Johnson Controls, the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, and architect of the Open Blue digital connected platforms, has released the newest version of the Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software. 3

  • Unique Oversized ID Card Printer

    Unique Oversized ID Card Printer

    Idesco Corp. is announcing its card printer – the XCR100 2.0 printer- that allows customers to personalize oversized ID cards on demand. The printer is ideal for assisting healthcare organizations find the right badging solution. As healthcare facilities continue to combat the spread of COVID-19, issuing oversized ID cards has helped identify staff clearly while adding an extra layer of security. The XCR100 2.0 printer is the only dye-sublimation printer on the market that can personalize CR100 cards (3.88" x 2.63"). The cards that are 42% larger than the standard credit card size. The printer can produce up to 180 full cards per hour in color, and up to 1,400 cards per hour in monochrome. An optional flipper is available to print dual-sided badges in one pass. Contactless encoding comes as an option to help healthcare facilities produce secure access badges on demand and the card printer features a 2-year warranty. 3