Assailants have confronted mosques opening gunfire to hundreds of worshipers in an incident that can only be related to a movie.
The Friday incident in Christchurch city, New Zealand led to death of many worshipers and is set to be the country’s worst ever mass shooting.
New Zealand media reported that between nine and 27 people were killed, but the death toll could not be confirmed. Police said multiple fatalities had occurred at two mosques, but it was unclear how many attackers were involved.
Video footage widely circulated on social media, apparently taken by a gunman and posted online live as the attack unfolded, showed him driving to one mosque, entering it and shooting randomly at people inside.
Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay huddled on the floor of the mosque, the video showed. Reuters was unable to confirm the authenticity of the footage.
One man who said he was at the Al Noor mosque told media the gunman was white, blond and wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest. The man burst into the mosque as worshippers were kneeling for prayers.
“He had a big gun … he came and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,” said the man, Ahmad Al-Mahmoud. He said he and others escaped by breaking through a glass door.
Radio New Zealand quoted a witness inside the mosque saying he heard shots fired and at least four people were lying on the ground and “there was blood everywhere”.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned what she called “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence”.
“This is one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” she said. Neither Ardern nor police gave a casualty toll.
New Zealand’s Police Commissioner Mike Bush said four people – three men and a woman – had been taken into custody but it was not clear if the gunman was among them or if other people were involved.
Bush also said it should not be assumed the attack was isolated to Christchurch. “At this point in time we should never make assumptions,” he said.
Bush also said IEDs, improvised explosive devices, were found with a vehicle they stopped.
The online video footage, which appeared to have been captured on a camera strapped to the gunman’s head, showed red petrol canisters in the back of his car, along with weapons.
All mosques in New Zealand had been asked to shut their doors, police said.