New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Saturday that victims of a terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch were from across the Muslim world, underscoring the global impact of the attack.
Ardern said her government was working with consular officials from countries including “Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia,” to deal with the aftermath of the attack that killed 49 people.
One Saudi citizen was killed and another wounded, according to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television news channel. The broadcaster named the deceased as Mohsin Al-Mozaini, quoting his family.
At least two Jordanians were among the dead, according to that country’s foreign minister, while Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Faisal said five citizens of his country were missing.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home of its holiest sites, condemned “in the strongest terms possible the shootings at two mosques” in the city of Christchurch.
The foreign ministry said one Saudi citizen was lightly wounded in the attacks but was recovering.
A right-wing extremist armed with semi-automatic weapons rampaged through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch during afternoon prayers Friday, killing 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 Ardern, as she led a shocked nation on one of its “darkest days.”
Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in court wearing handcuffs and a white prison shirt, sitting impassively as the judge read a single murder charge against him. A raft of further charges are expected.
The former fitness instructor and self-professed fascist occasionally turned to look at media present in court during the brief hearing that was held behind closed doors for security reasons.
He did not request bail and was taken into custody until his next court appearance scheduled for April 5.
His two targets were the Masjid al Noor mosque, where 41 people were killed, 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 42 people were treated for gunshot wounds at Christchurch Hospital, with two in critical condition. One of them, a four-year-old, was being transferred to another hospital Saturday.
The survivors included 17 members of Bangladesh’s cricket team, whose game against New Zealand on Saturday has been postponed, and a Palestinian man who fled for his life after seeing someone being shot in the head.
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