So was a 71-old refugee who had survived decades of war in his native Afghanistan. The father of a Syrian family that had fled to New Zealand to escape the carnage in their country was killed. What followed was a calm, methodical onslaught, hundreds of rounds that would kill more than 40 and wound dozens more. The gunman, never pausing, stepped through the entrance-way, already lined with bodies lying among the shoes of dozens more worshippers within. The first dull pop was followed by eight more in four seconds. The shooting, when it started, was relentless. Gathering for prayers on Friday were immigrants and refugees from Syria, Jordan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. New Zealand's 50,000 Muslims make up only 1 per cent of the population, but the country has welcomed increasing numbers of families fleeing hardship in recent years. Its golden dome is a landmark for cricket players and other visitors to the city's central park across the street. The rifle tip moved over the centre of his back.Ībout 1.40pm, just before regular Friday prayers at Al Noor got underway, the gunman pulled the trigger for the first time.Īl Noor is Christchurch's most prominent mosque, serving a local Muslim population of about 3,000. The worshipper nearest was turning away from the camera, just a dozen feet away. Someone could be heard saying, "Hello, brother." Several figures stood at the top of the steps, just inside the entrance. Suddenly, the centre of the image was filled, as it would be for much of the next six minutes, with the pointing barrel of the rifle.
One man walking on the far side looked his way as he advanced steadily towards the arched front entrance flanked by tall evergreen shrubs. The attacker ignored the pair and entered a parking lot crowded with small cars. The street was quiet only one elderly couple seemed to notice as he carried his weapons a few yards to the grounds of Christchurch's Al Noor Mosque, its high minaret rising above an angular whitewashed building. Selecting an additional shotgun, he walked to the sidewalk, leaving the car hatch open and the car running. Military fife-and-drum music was playing as he climbed out of the Subaru, lifted the car's rear hatch door and uncovered two other graffiti-covered rifles and multiple red gas cans. Methodically, he readied his guns and magazines, all of which had been covered with white lettering and symbols, including references to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and the names of mass shooters. Minutes before the attack, a link to the manifesto was posted on the website 8chan, along with a chilling promise to live-stream an "attack against the invaders".įive minutes into the live Facebook video, the attacker pulled into a driveway on Deans Avenue, turned around in a small parking area and finally positioned the Subaru at the end of the drive, pointing outward, ready for a fast exit.
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