New Zealand police have confirmed that dozens of people were killed and wounded in two attacks on mosques in Christchurch, South Island, and announced the detention of three men and a woman after the attacks.
Commissioner Mike Bush said the dead had fallen "as far as we know, in two locations, in a mosque on Dynes Street and in another mosque on Lynnwood Street," but investigators were not sure how many.
"On this day of prayer, the police are asking all Muslims to avoid going to mosques" all over New Zealand, "Bush said, calling for any suspicious behavior to be reported.
The municipality has given a phone line to anxious students about the fate of their children, who were taking part not long ago in a march against climate change.
| Bush: On this day of prayer, police ask all Muslims to avoid going to mosques (Reuters) |
dead and wounded
Witnesses told the media that a man dressed in camouflage clothes resembling army uniforms and carrying an automatic rifle fired indiscriminately at people in the Nur Mosque, while local media reported that the death toll could reach 27.
Security forces surrounded a large area of the city. The police said in a statement that they were "fully responsive" to what was happening, "but the risks are still very high."
During the shooting, the Nur Mosque on Denis Street was packed with worshipers, including members of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team, who were unhurt.
One of the witnesses told the website "Stav.K.NZ" news that he was praying in the mosque when he heard gunfire. As he fled, he saw his wife dead in front of the mosque.
On social networking sites, activists broadcast video clips of the perpetrator directly on Facebook to document what he did, showing how he stormed the mosque and used a machine gun and attacked the worshipers, who numbered about 300 worshipers, according to the pioneers of these sites.