Indian among injured in Christchurch mosque shooting

ONE Indian-origin man was injured in the Christchurch terror attacks, family members in the south Indian city of Hyderabad said today (15).

Khursheed Jahangir, the brother of Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir, said his brother was injured during the attack and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital in Christchurch.

"He is injured. He is recovering in a hospital now. The latest information we received is that he is undergoing surgery. He has been shot in the chest and we are trying to reach the Indian embassy and local helpline numbers," Khursheed Jahangir said.

A "right-wing extremist" armed with semi-automatic weapons rampaged through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city during afternoon prayers today, killing 49 worshippers and wounding dozens more.

The attack, thought to be the deadliest against Muslims in the West in modern times, was immediately dubbed terrorism by prime minister Jacinda Ardern, as she led a shocked nation on one of its "darkest days."

The attacker live-streamed footage of himself going room-to-room, victim to victim, shooting the wounded from close range as they struggled to crawl away.

A 28-year-old Australian-born man has been arrested and charged with murder.

He is set to appear at the Christchurch District Court early Saturday. Two other men remain in custody, although their link to the attack is unknown.

The chief suspect allegedly published a racist "manifesto" on social media before the attack, featuring conspiracy theories about Europeans being displaced, and details of two years of preparation and radicalisation leading up to the shootings.

"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," said Ardern. "From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned."

Two IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were found in a car and neutralised by the military, police said.

Speaking in Sydney, Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison described the gunman as "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist".

His two targets were the Masjid al Noor mosque, where 41 people died, and a second, smaller mosque in the suburb of Linwood, where seven more died. The remaining victim succumbed in hospital.

The dead were said to include women and children. Around 48 people were treated for gunshot wounds at Christchurch Hospital, including young children, with injuries ranging from critical to minor.

(with AFP)