Death toll rises to 49 in Christchurch as one man is charged with murder
Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch after the attack. Image: Mark Baker/AP/Press Association Images Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch after the attack. Image: Mark Baker/AP/Press Association Images Updated 11 minutes agoAT LEAST 49 people have been killed in what police described as a “well planned” mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“This is absolutely tragic, there will be so many people affected,” the country’s police chief Mike Bush told reporters earlier.Four people in total are now in custody – three men and one woman – and a number of IEDs have been discovered around the city. The explosive devices were attached to vehicles belonging to the detained suspects. None had detonated and were subsequently made safe by the military.
The city went into lockdown with police asking people to stay indoors in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Schools were also shut but that lockdown has now been lifted. However, mosques across the country remain closed and police advised Muslim worshippers to not visit for prayers. She said many of those who will have been directly affected by the attacks may be migrants or refugees who “have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home”.
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