Naeem Rashid has died after he tried to wrestle the gun from the Christchurch shooter, as it's revealed his son was also a victim of the terror attack.
Mr Rashid tried to overpower the gunman - 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant - during a mass shooting at Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch on Friday afternoon.
The hero was left badly wounded after he launched himself at the shooter in a bid to protect fellow worshippers.
He was rushed to hospital following the attack, but died late on Friday night.
The mosque massacre hero Naeem Rashid has died after he tried to wrestle the gun from the Christchuch shooter during the Friday afternoon attack
Mr Rashid tried to overpower the shooter - identified as 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant - during a mass shooting at Al Noor mosque at Christchurch, which was live-streamed - a second attack also happened at Linwood Masjid mosque
Mr Rashid was left badly wounded after he launched himself at the shooter in a bid to protect fellow worshippers (pictured, Brenton Tarrant)
Mr Rashid was quickly rushed to hospital following the Friday afternoon attack, but died later that night (pictured, mourners lay flowers following the terrifying mass shooting)
Mr Rashid was from Abbottabad, a city in Pakistan, where he worked with a private bank before he moved to Christchurch to work as a teacher.
In a tragic twist, Mr Rashid's 21-year-old son, Talha, also lost his life during the mass shooting.
Dr Khursheed Alam confirmed to ARY News that his brother Mr Rashid and nephew Talha had been killed in the attack.
Pakistan's High Commission in Wellington earlier confirmed that four Pakistani men were wounded and five others missing.
A survivor also told how another man tackled the gunman and stole one of his weapons.
Meanwhile eye-witness Syed Mazharuddin said he also saw a second have-a-go-hero at the Linwood Masjid mosque, the second to be attacked.
Mr Mazharuddin said he saw the shooter wearing protective gear and firing wildly before a young man attempted to tackle the gunman.
'He saw an opportunity and pounced and took his gun,' he told The NZ Herald.
The young hero took the gun out of the shooter's hands and attempted to defend people in the mosque but couldn't figure out how to use the weapon, he said.
'The hero tried to chase and he couldn't find the trigger in the gun... he ran behind him but there were people waiting for him in the car and he fled,' Mr Mazharuddin added.
Mr Mazharuddin said he tried to take cover when he noticed the gunman come in through the main entrance door where 60 to 70 people were praying. He said the gunman then opened fire on elderly people who were praying inside the mosque and he witnessed one of his friends die in the brazen attack after they were shot in the chest and head.
On Saturday Australian-born Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28, faced Christchurch District Court charged with one count of murder.
He smirked in the dock and then made a white power gesture with his hand.
Syed Mazharuddin (pictured) was praying on Friday at the Linwood Masjid mosque in Christchurch when he heard gunshots right in front of him, then saw a man jump up and seize the attacker's gun
Tarrant (pictured as a child in his late father's arms) used the video and manifesto to outline his racist views before carrying out the massacre, which was the worst mass-shooting in New Zealand's history
Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed on Twitter that the death toll stands at 49, with 42 injured.
The Brenton allegedly stormed the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country's South Island during Friday prayers about 1.30pm, opening fire with a semi-automatic shotgun and a rifle on about 100 defenceless worshippers.
The attack was broadcast in horrifying, live video - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern later confirmed in a press conference five firearms were used in the attack. It followed the publication of a 73-page manifesto in which Tarrant laid out his racist, anti-immigrant views.
'It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,' Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said, noting that many of the victims could be migrants or refugees.
She pronounced it 'one of New Zealand's darkest days.'
The attack shocked people across the nation of 5 million people, a country that has relatively loose gun laws but is so peaceful even police officers rarely carry firearms.
Police arrested and charged one man aged 'in his late 20s' with murder. He is expected to face court Saturday. Pictured is an image of Tarrant that was posted to Facebook by a Pakistani hotel-owner, which appears to show Tarrant in the country
Witnesses reported hearing 50 shots and police are responding to the incident at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country's South Island. Pictured is a still from a live-stream of the shooting
A man wearing military fatigues (pictured) was arrested outside Papanui High School
At least one gunman has opened fire at a mosque in New Zealand , shooting at children and killing dozens of people
Witnesses reported hearing 50 shots and police are responding to the incident at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country's South Island
Post a Comment