Death toll in NZ shooting goes up to 40

The death toll in New Zealand's mosque shooting has gone up to 40, the country's prime minister Jacinda Ardern.A gunman opened fire on Friday prayers at a mosque in Christchurch, forcing the city into lockdown as police launched a massive manhunt.The killer is an Australian extremist, authorities said, who apparently livestreamed the attack.Police said two mosques were targeted in the attack that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said marked "one of New Zealand's darkest days".Witnesses spoke of victims being shot at close range, with women and children also believed to be among those killed.The gunman at one mosque was an Australian-born citizen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Sydney, describing him as "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist".It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved, but New Zealand police said that four people - three men and a woman - were taken into custody.A Palestinian man who was in one of the mosques said he saw someone being shot in the head.Video and documents circulating online - but not officially confirmed - suggested the shooter had streamed his attack on Facebook Live.AFP has examined the footage, which has subsequently been taken down.Journalists experienced in verification techniques said it appeared to be genuine.New Zealand police described it as "extremely distressing" and urged web users not to share it.A manifesto had also been posted online on accounts linked to the same Facebook page, suggesting the attack was racially motivated.A social media account had also posted a number of pictures of a semi-automatic weapon covered in the names of historical figures, many of whom were involved in the killing of Muslims."There were bodies all over," an eyewitness said.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2UCeqYn