Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the victims hered about New Zealand’s debate over its gun laws here.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will return to the city of Christchurch on Wednesday to meet with first responders and victims’ families.
“I will be meeting again with first responders, including St John’s ambulance and front-line support staff. I plan on meeting with family members, but I’m also very mindful that families are receiving their loved ones for burial and I certainly intend, and I ask others also, to be respectful of course at this hugely sensitive time,” she said in a Monday statement.
Earlier today, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the government has agreed to reform the country’s gun laws in the wake of Friday’s mosque terror attacks.
Here’s what you need to know about New Zealand’s gun laws:
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said her department has offered its full support to New Zealand in the wake of the terror attacks.
“We, too, have seen the face of such evil with attacks in places such as Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, and Charleston. And in the wake of the New Zealand tragedy, I want to make one thing very clear: We will not permit such hate in the homeland,” she said.
Nielsen called the mosque shootings a “horrible assault” against Muslim worshipers
A spokesperson for Israel’s Population & Immigration Authority, Sabine Haddad, told CNN that an Australian citizen by the name of Brenton Tarrant, who was born in 1990, entered Israel as a tourist on Oct. 25, 2016.
He received a three-month visa on arrival, and he stayed in Israel for nine days.
New Zealand’s government has agreed to reform the country’s gun laws in the wake of last Friday’s massacre at two mosques, in which 50 people were killed, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed.
Ardern said that the “worst act of terrorism on our shores” had exposed a range of weaknesses in New Zealand’s gun laws.
Speaking after her weekly cabinet meeting Monday evening local time, Ardern told reporters that ministers had agreed “in principle” to reform gun laws.
“Within 10 days of this horrific act of terrorism we will have announced reforms which will, I believe, make our community safer,” she said.
New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says he discussed the use of the video from Friday’s attack with Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
When asked by reporters if it was acceptable for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to show parts of the video, Peters said this:
“I made it very clear to Vice-President Oktay and Çavuşoğlu who is their Foreign Minister just last night that anything of that nature that misrepresents this country – given that this was a non-New Zealand citizen – imperils the future and safety of the New Zealand people and our people abroad and it’s totally unfair. In short we made it very clear that we oppose terrorism in whatever shape and form it might be and that we are for a free and open society. We had a long dialogue on the need for any other country, or Turkey for that matter, to ensure that our country, New Zealand, was not misrepresented. We did not start or bring about this disaster and they clearly understood that.”
Two homes raided on Monday morning by Australia’s Joint Counter Terrorism Force belong to the accused Christchurch shooter’s family members, CNN affiliate Australia’s Seven News said.
Police executed search warrants at the homes of 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant’s mother and his sister, in northeastern New South Wales.
The raids were part of the ongoing investigation into the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch on Friday, which killed 50 people.
Tarrant has been charged with murder over the shootings.
A 28-year-old man Australian man accused of the murder of 50 people in Christchurch on Friday doesn’t want a lawyer, according to the attorney temporarily assigned to him on the day of his arrest.
Duty lawyer Richard Peters told CNN that Brenton Tarrant had twice made it clear that he did not want legal representation.
Peters, assigned by Christchurch District Court to assist Tarrant in preliminary court appearances, said that the defendant hopes to represent himself.
Tarrant is due to appear in court again on April 5. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she expects additional charges to be laid against him.
Indian nationals Abdul Nazer, 34, and his wife, Ansi Alibava, 25, were both inside the Al Noor mosque on Friday – men sat on the left, women on the right – when the first shots were fired in one of New Zealand’s worst mass shootings.
Originally from Kerela, the young couple had borrowed money to move to Christchurch last year, so she could complete her postgraduate studies.
When Alibava graduated, they hoped she’d get a high-paying job and they would live and work in New Zealand, before returning back home to India to settle down.
Friday’s mass shootings changed those plans forever.
Alibava was one of the 50 people killed in Friday’s attacks – and now her husband is raising money to help repatriate her body back to India.
You can read more about Nazer and Alibava here.
A single gunman carried out the killing of 50 people at two mosques on Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand Police said on Monday.
“We believe that there was only one attacker responsible for this horrendous event,” Police Commissioner Mike Bush told a press conference in the capital Wellington.
“There were 2 scenes, as you know, again I’d like to state that we believe absolutely there was only one attacker responsible for this.”
Bush added that police have not ruled out the possibility that others could have helped prepare the lone attacker ahead of the shooting.
Australian national, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, has been arrested and charged with one count of murder, with further counts expected to be laid.
Auckland-based journalist Susannah Cullinane has described how New Zealand is struggling to find its “new normal” in the wake of Friday’s massacre.
You can read more from Cullinane, a former CNN staffer who returned to her native New Zealand after several years in London, here.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has thrown his support behind new, unspecified gun control measures agreed to by the country’s cabinet Monday, in an apparent break with his previous stance on the issue.
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Peters explained that “the reality is after the 15 March, our world changed forever, and so will our laws.”
New Zealand First is part of the ruling coalition along with Ardern’s Labour Party. It’s the third-largest political party in the country and leans to the right on many issues, including immigration.
After the 2016 massacre at a nightclub in Orlando, Peters said those in the United States who blamed the attack on a lack of gun control were wrong. However, he did not explicitly say he was opposed to gun control at the time, but rather said some were taking a “politically correct” position and were “seeking to divert blame from where it should lie.”
This is what he said:
“We in New Zealand First are opposed to religious extremism in any form, and this atrocity resulted from Islamic extremism by a terrorist whose family had sought shelter in the United States. There are those who will take the politically correct view and blame it all on a lack of gun control. They are wrong. They have been misled. They are seeking to divert blame from where it should lie because this terrorist could have used any weapon of destruction – a bomb, an improvised device, a method of mass poisoning – and blaming a lack of gun control in this way is seen, in our view, as simply a cop-out.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her cabinet has agreed “in principle” on proposals to change the country’s gun laws in response to the terror attack in Christchurch Friday, but she stopped short of revealing what those changes might be.
Ardern said more details will be released once her cabinet “has worked through through the in-principle decision” made today.
Appearing beside New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, Ardern told reporters at a news conference Monday that the cabinet was “absolutely united” in its decision.
“This was a cabinet decision,” said Peters. New Zealand First is part of the ruling coalition along with Ardern’s Labour Party.
“The reality is after the 15 March, our world changed forever, and so will our laws,” Peters said.
The grandmother of alleged terrorist Brenton Tarrant has spoken to Australia’s Nine News about the shock she felt after hearing about Friday’s mosque shootings in Christchurch.
“It’s just so much … to take in that somebody in our family would do anything like this,” 81-year-old Marie Fitzgerald said.
Tarrant has been charged with murder in the wake of the two shootings at New Zealand mosques which left at least 50 people dead and the city of Christchurch in shock.
Fitzgerald said she believed it was after Tarrant’s overseas trip to Asia and Europe that her grandson changed.
“It’s only since he traveled overseas, I think, that that boy has changed completely to the boy we knew,” she said.
Police have already said Tarrant’s family is co-operating with authorities.
Nine victims of Friday’s Christchurch mosque shootings are still in a critical condition, authorities have said.
David Meates, chief executive of Canterbury District Health Board, said in a statement that two victims of the attacks, which claimed at least 50 lives, would be released from hospital on Monday. Another 31 were still being treated.
“There is still a four-year-old girl in a critical condition in Starship Hospital in Auckland,” Meates said. “Her father has been transferred to Auckland and remains in a serious but stable condition.”
He added that the attack had “profoundly affected” the staff of Christchurch hospital and said they would need support in the coming days.
“We are postponing a significant number of surgeries planned for Cantabrians and others to free up theatre space and surgical teams today,” he added.
One of New Zealand’s biggest internet auction websites has announced that it will pull all semi-automatic weapons from its platform, following their use in the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
At least 50 people were killed when a gunman opened fire in two mosques with multiple weapons on Friday.
A statement released by TradeMe on Monday said that the site would halt the sale of semi-automatic weapons while it waited “for more clarity from the government.”
“We do not allow the sale of military-style, semi-automatic weapons, parts which could change an ‘A’ category firearm into a military-style semi-automatic weapon, pistols, or restricted weapons,” the site said in a statement.
“It is clear public sentiment has changed in relation to semi-automatic weapons and we acknowledge that.”
In the wake of last Friday’s attacks in Christchurch in which 50 people were killed, New Zealand faces a defining moment on the availability of guns in society.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has pledged tough measures to limit their circulation – but in a country with a strong hunting tradition, where there is roughly one gun for every four people, it will be no easy path.
Philip Alper, editor of GunPolicy.org, a Australian website that tracks armed violence, firearm law and gun control, says that the New Zealand gun lobby will likely resist any attempt to adopt tighter controls.
According to Alper, there have been four inquiries into possible changes to New Zealand’s gun laws during the past 22 years – and the gun lobby has stymied every one of them.
Read more here
The first body belonging to a victim of Friday’s Christchurch massacre has been officially released by the New Zealand Police and Coronial Services.
“We had our first release of a deceased person, official release last evening,” Police Deputy Commissioner Wally Haumaha told a press conference in Christchurch on Monday afternoon local time.
However, the family of the victim declined to take possession of the body. Haumaha said that the family will wait for the release of the body of a second family member who was also killed in the attack, so as to collect both at the same time.
“The process has been very emotional and highly stressful for all and you can imagine the emotions are running high, as in accordance with the Islamic faith, the families have wanted their bodies to be returned as soon as possible. We are ensuring that we do that,” Haumaha said.
Two homes in New South Wales were raided by Australia’s Joint Counter Terrorism team on Monday morning, as part of the investigation into the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
The raids took place in the northeastern coastal towns of Sandy Beach and Lawrence, the the Australian Federal Police said in a statement.
Both towns are close to Grafton, where the alleged shooter worked for a time at a local gym.
“The primary aim of the activity is to formally obtain material that may assist New Zealand Police in their ongoing investigation,” police said in the release.
There is no “impending threat” connected to the raids, police said.
The owner of New Zealand firearm chain Gun City has come out in support of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s “swift” actions in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack.
Gun City managing director David Tipple said it appeared the gunman, who shot dead 50 people at two New Zealand mosques, bought four of his weapons from the store.
“All Gun City sales to this individual followed a police-verified, online, mail-order process,” he said. “We detected nothing extraordinary about this license holder.”
Tipple said he was “dismayed and disgusted” by the attack and added that Gun City “fully supports (Ardern’s) swift and decisive actions” in the wake of the tragedy.
“Accurate concerns have been raised and we want to assist in ensuring effective responses,” he said.
New Zealand native Linda Armstrong was among those killed on Friday in the Christchurch mosque shootings, her nephew Kyron Gosse confirmed to CNN.
“Linda had a huge heart and was willing to help out anyone who needed it,” Armstrong’s family said in a statement. “She befriended many travelers, immigrants and refugees. Opening her home, her heart and her kitchen.”
Gosse said his 65-year-old aunt was “absolutely loved by the Muslim community” and “showed up to mosque every Friday.”
Armstrong grew up in West Auckland and recently moved to Christchurch to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren, her family said.
Facebook announced overnight that it had removed 1.5 million videos of the New Zealand attack. The company said that it had blocked 1.2 million of the videos at upload, meaning they would not have been seen by users.
Facebook did not say how many people had seen the remaining 300,000 videos.
The original version of the video streamed live on Facebook for 17 minutes. Facebook was alerted to the video by police, the company said.
Hafiz Musa Patel, an imam at a mosque in Fiji, died in the Friday terror attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, according to the Fiji Muslim League.
Patel was an imam at Lautoka Jame Masjid for the past 25 years. He had left Fiji three weeks ago to spend time with children in Australia, Fiji’s national broadcaster reported.
Patel and his wife had then traveled to Christchurch to visit friends and well-wishers, it said.
At a vigil for the victims of Christchurch in Fiji on Sunday, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that Fiji nationals were among those “brutally slaughtered’” in the massacre, but did not name them specifically.
“Let us never forget our fallen Fijians, nor our brothers and sisters in New Zealand. To their families, you have the support of not just your fellow Fijians and of Kiwis, but people from all around the world who are holding similar vigils to honor the innocent men, women and children who lost their lives. We are with you,” he said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry identified six of the people who died in the New Zealand mosque attacks as being of Palestinian descent, but it did not specify where they hold citizenship.
These are the six victims:
Three more people were arrested in the United Kingdom on Sunday after reports of incidents that Greater Manchester Police called “racially aggravated.”
Officers were called to Queensway, Rochdale, over a report that a taxi driver was being abused and threatened by people who were referencing the terror attacks in New Zealand, police said in a statement.
A 33-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of “racially aggravated” offenses and will be interviewed later today, police said.
Separately, police said they also arrested a 38-year-old woman in Rochdale after comments she made about the New Zealand attack online. She remains in custody for questioning.
Earlier on Sunday, police said that a 24-year-old man had been arrested over a social media post pledging support for the New Zealand shooter.
Assistant Chief Constable for Greater Manchester Police, Russ Jackson, condemned the acts as “disgusting,” and said that police would seek prosecution of those involved if there is evidence.
“The events which happened two days ago in New Zealand continue to cause huge upset with people of all faiths from across Greater Manchester,” Jackson added. “It is absolutely clear that compassion and support is how the overwhelming majority of people feel and, as always, Greater Manchester stands together.”
Sayyad Milne, a 14-year old student at Cashmere High School in Christchurch, was one of the 50 people killed in the New Zealand mosque attacks on Friday.
His father, John Milne told the New Zealand Herald that his “little boy” was an avid football player who had just recently turned 14.
“I remember him as my baby who I nearly lost when he was born. Such a struggle he’s had throughout all his life. He’s been unfairly treated but he’s risen above that and he’s very brave. A brave little soldier. It’s so hard… to see him just gunned down by someone who didn’t care about anyone or anything. I know where he is. I know he’s at peace,” Milne said.
Tributes have also flown in from Malaysia, where Sayyad had attended the annual Al-Khaadem Youth Camp with his brother last year.
Izwan Ibn Sabri, a volunteer at the camp, wrote a tribute to Sayyad on his Facebook page saying:
“He had such a genuine & pleasant character. Eager & responsive to guidance. Kids like him gave us hope for the future of our Youth. May Allah raise him together with the Prophets and Shuhada’. And may Allah grant his and all the families involved in the Christchurch massacre tranquility and strength.”
A camp representative told CNN that his mother, who is originally from Malaysia, confirmed Sayyad’s death after claiming his body from the hospital.
Details have continued to emerge about the extensive travels of the suspected gunman, Brenton Tarrant, before the Christchurch attack.
CNN has confirmed that Tarrant visited Egypt and Greece in March of 2016, and Turkish state broadcaster TRT reports that he visited Turkey the same month, before returning in September and staying in the country for around seven weeks.
Local news agencies have also reported that Tarrant visited the Balkan nations of Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia in late 2016 and early 2017.
In the hate-filled “manifesto” sent to New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern and others shortly before the mosque attacks, Tarrant wrote that his world view had changed dramatically while traveling in Europe in 2017.
Tarrant visited Bulgaria and Romania in late 2018, Bulgarian Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov told journalists on Friday, according to state news agency BTA. Tsatsarov added that the suspect had a very good knowledge of the region’s history.
CNN has confirmed that Tarrant also visited Pakistan in October 2018.
The 50 people killed in Friday’s mosque attacks included nine Pakistanis - six of whom will be buried in New Zealand, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters Sunday.
Three bodies will be brought back to Pakistan to be buried, he said, adding that he has asked his New Zealand counterpart to hasten the process to repatriate the bodies.
Another Pakistani person remains hospitalized and in a critical condition, Qureshi added.
Pakistan is in mourning and the Pakistani flag will fly at half-mast, the Foreign Minister said.
Qureshi said he had been in touch with Turkey’s Foreign Minister, who is to call an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Friday March 22. The OIC represents 57 countries with large or majority Muslim populations.
Scott Brown, the United States’ ambassador to New Zealand, has condemned white supremacy and extended his sympathies to Muslim communities worldwide in the wake of Friday’s mosque attacks – but refused to call on President Donald Trump to do the same.
“I’m the President’s representative here, and I have done it,” Brown told Jake Tapper on CNN Sunday.
Trump sent his condolences on Twitter after the “horrible” attack. But he later rejected the idea that white nationalism is on the rise, a comment New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she did not agree with.
“They have their own opinions, obviously,” Brown said of the disagreement. “There’s never been any doubt that we condemn racism,” he added.
“Christchurch had an earthquake which devastated that city some time ago, and they made major efforts to rebuild and amazing inclusiveness. So the Islamophobic attitudes of this rotten-to-the-core terrorist really is not something that I have ever seen here in New Zealand,” Brown also said.
“I’ve been here for almost two years. I haven’t seen it here. That’s why it’s a little bit numbing.”
Brown, who said he has spoken to White House staff since the attack but not with Trump personally, also rejected the idea that the shooter had been inspired by Trump’s rhetoric. The US president was mentioned in the gunman’s “manifesto.”
“I don’t give any credibility whatsoever to the ramblings of somebody who is rotten to the core and clearly is an extremist of the worst kind,” Brown said.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested over a social media post that supported the terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch.
The man, from the Oldham area in northern England, was arrested on suspicion of sending malicious communications, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
“This is a very difficult time for people. The events in New Zealand have reverberated around the world. Many people are in deep shock and are worried,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
“It is at times like this that, as a community, we stand together. Where the law permits and people cross the line, we will take robust action, which may include arrest and prosecution,” the spokesman added.
Five Indian nationals who died in Friday’s mosque attacks have been named by the Indian High Commission in New Zealand. The victims included four men and one woman.
The victims’ names were: Maheboob Khokhar; Ramiz Vora; Asif Vora; Ansi Alibava and Ozair Kadir.
“With a very heavy heart we share the news of loss of precious lives of our 5 nationals in ghastly terror attack in #Christchurch,” the High Commission tweeted.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, staff from the High Commission said they were attempting to establish the whereabouts of nine Indians.
“We strongly condemn the dastardly terrorist attacks at the places of worship in Christchurch,” India’s Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, said after the attack. “Our heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved ones.”
New Zealand authorities are working to identify the 50 people killed in the massacre as quickly as possible, to allow their families to bury them according to Muslim tradition.
Among those already confirmed to have died are a Syrian refugee and his teenage sons, a Pakistani academic and a goalkeeper on the national futsal team.
Pope Francis has paid tribute to the victims of the Christchurch massacre, twice departing from his prepared statement on Sunday to call them “our Muslim brothers.”
“Dear brothers and sisters, in these days, with the pain of wars and conflicts that never cease to afflict all mankind, the pain is added from that of the victims of the horrific attack on two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand,” the Pope said in his weekly Angelus prayers at St. Peter’s.
“I pray for the dead and the wounded and their families. I am close to our Muslim brothers, the religious and civil communities, and I renew the invitation to unite with prayer and gestures of peace to oppose hatred and violence. Let us pray for our Muslim brothers that have been killed.”
Both references to “our Muslim brothers” appeared to be off the cuff, not appearing in the prepared text of the speech released by the Vatican.
A 22-year-old man will appear at Christchurch District Court on Monday morning (local time), after being charged with offences under New Zealand’s Films Videos and Publications Classification Act.
“This man was arrested by police in the initial stages of the shooting investigation in Christchurch on Friday afternoon, but he is not being charged in relation to the attack. Police at this stage do not believe he was directly involved,” they said in a statement.
They also warned people against sharing video of the terror attack, which was live-streamed on social media by the gunman.
“We would like to remind people that it is an offence to distribute or possess an objectionable publication (under the Films Videos and Publications Classifications Act 1993), which carries a penalty of imprisonment. The live stream video of the shootings in Christchurch has been classified by the Chief Censor’s Office as objectionable,” police said.
Facebook said that within 24 hours of Friday’s shooting it had removed 1.5 million videos of the attack from its platform globally.
Here’s a recap of Sunday’s events in Christchurch, New Zealand, for those of you just joining us:
Of the four people arrested following Friday’s attack in Christchurch, only one is believed to be connected to the incident, New Zealand police have confirmed.
The suspected gunman appeared in court on Saturday charged with murder and has been remanded until April 5.
Two other people were apprehended at a cordon during the initial police operation and a firearm was seized from them, New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters Sunday.
“One of those persons, a woman, has been released without charge. The man in that vehicle has been charged with firearms offense. At this point we do not believe that they were involved in these attacks,” said Bush.
A fourth person was detained at the scene after attempting to “assist children in the area,” said Bush, adding that the person “did decide to arm themselves, which is not the right approach.”
New Zealand actor and “Flight of the Conchords” star Jermaine Clement has tweeted from Sunday night’s vigil in Wellington, where thousands have gathered to mourn the victims of Friday’s terror attack in Christchurch.
Clement said it was “beautiful to hear English, Arabic and Maori all spoken with the same message, one against hate.”
New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush has praised police in Christchurch for their rapid response to Friday’s attack.
“I can tell you that within six minutes of police being called … armed police staff were on the scene,” said Bush, who was speaking at a press conference Sunday.
“Within 10 minutes members of our armed defenders squad were on the scene and within 36 minutes we had that mobile offender in our custody.”
Bush later clarified the precise response time in a written press statement.
“Police received the first 111 call at 1.41pm. The first armed Police unit was on scene at 1.47pm. That’s six minutes to respond. Within 10 minutes, our Armed Offenders Squad was on scene. Within 36 minutes, a mobile offender was in custody.”
Scores of people have contributed to makeshift memorials across Christchurch in the wake of Friday’s terror attack.
Flowers and touching notes have been laid alongside the city’s Botanic Gardens to remember those who were killed.
Similar tributes have been laid outside the Al Huda mosque in the nearby city of Dunedin. Though Al Huda was not one of the two houses of worship targeted in the attack, it has still drawn many well-wishers.
A vigil is underway in the New Zealand city of Wellington, where thousands have gathered to pay their respects to the victims of the Friday’s Christchurch terror attacks.
The vigil was moved from the city’s Civic Square to the Basin Reserve cricket ground to better accommodate the large numbers of people who wished to attend.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Naeem Rashid, who died while attempting to stop the shooter during Friday’s attack in Christchurch, will receive a posthumous national award in honor of his bravery.
“We stand ready to extend all our support to the families of Pakistani victims of the terrorist attack in Christchurch,” said Khan in statement posted to Twitter.
“Pakistan is proud of Mian Naeem Rashid who was martyred trying to tackle the White Supremacist terrorist and his courage will be recognized with a national award.”
Naeem Rashid, 50, and his son Talha Rashid, 21, were among six Pakistanis who were killed in the attack, according to Mohammad Faisal, spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Facebook has said it continues to works “around the clock” to remove videos of the incident shared on its platform.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday, the US-based tech company said that within 24 hours of Friday’s shooting it had removed 1.5 million videos of the attack from its platform globally.
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have struggled to halt the spread of horrific footage of the shooting, which was broadcast live on Facebook and subsequently shared widely online.
In a press conference Sunday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden addressed the issue of the video and said it was up to online platforms to take responsibility.
“This issue goes beyond New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean we cant play an active role in getting this resolved,” said Arden.
Arden also acknowledged she had spoken directly with Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, in regards to the video.
A total of 34 patients injured in Friday’s attacks remain in Christchurch Hospital, including 12 people in intensive care.
In a statement, Sunday, Chief Executive of Canterbury District Health Board David Meates said that two patients had been discharged late on Saturday, and a further two are expected to be well enough to return home on Sunday.
“There are currently 12 people in intensive care in a critical condition. We expect a small number of these people to be well enough to transfer to other wards later today,” said Meates.
“There is also one 4-year-old girl in Starship Hospital in Auckland in a critical condition. She was transferred from Christchurch to Auckland on Saturday 16 March,” he added.
“Today we are running seven acute theaters which is more than we would usually have operating on a Sunday – we would usually have three operating theaters running,” said Meates.
“Many of these people need multiple surgeries due to the complex nature of their injuries, and the need to provide a number of shorter surgeries in a phased way so patients have the best chance of recovery.”
New Zealand Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall has spoken of the difficulties faced by authorities in correctly identifying the bodies of the victims of Friday’s terror attack.
“There could be nothing worse than giving the wrong body to the wrong family,” said Marshall. “This is not going to happen here.”
Speaking at a press conference alongside deputy Police Chief Wally Haumaha, on Sunday, Marshall confirmed that the formal identification process has now begun.
“The process involves a CT scan, fingerprints, property and clothing is photographed, dental records are examined and then post-mortem examination,” said Marshall.
“We started the post-mortems this morning. We understand that later on tonight we may be releasing the first body,” added Marshall.
The body of the 50th victim was discovered at the Al Noor mosque, where most victims were killed, when officials were removing the victims’ bodies on Saturday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has confirmed that her office received a copy of the suspected Christchurch shooter’s so-called “manifesto” minutes before the first attack began.
“I was one of more than 30 recipients of a manifesto that was mailed out 9 minutes before the attack took place,” said Arden.
“It did not include a location, it did not contain specific details, it was conveyed to parliamentary security within two minutes of receipt.”
The 87-page document, also posted on social media before the shooting, was filled with anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim screeds. Authorities have so far declined to discuss potential motives for the attack.
You can read more about the document’s white supremacist reference points here.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed that her country’s gun laws will change in the wake of Friday’s terror attack.
“I’ve already indicated there will be changes to our gun laws. This will be discussed in cabinet tomorrow,” said Arden during a press conference in Wellington, Sunday.
Until Friday, the biggest massacre in New Zealand’s history occurred 30 years ago, when a man named David Gray went on a shooting rampage, killing 13 people.
Following that attack, the nation’s gun laws – which were first passed in 1983 – came under scrutiny. The ensuing debate led to a 1992 amendment on the regulation of military-style semi-automatic firearms.
Despite those laws, New Zealand’s weapons legislation is considered more relaxed than most Western countries outside of the USA. Gun owners do need a license but they aren’t required to register their guns – unlike in neighboring Australia.
While authorities do not know exactly how many legally or illegally owned firearms are currently in circulation in New Zealand, estimates put the number at about 1.2 million, according to New Zealand Police. This figure equates to about one gun for every three people – a rate that is considered high when compared with Australia, which has 3.15 million guns, approximately one for every eight people.
Addressing the current gun laws, Arden said that change was required “regardless of activity that may have happened with gun retailers, they need to change.”
Arden said she would provide more detail as to those possible changes to firearms legislation following more detailed discussion with her cabinet Monday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that the bodies of a small number of victims will be returned to families on Sunday evening, and all bodies will be returned to families by Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Wellington, Sunday, Arden confirmed that her cabinet would meet Monday to discuss government policy including changes to the country’s gun laws, issues around terror watch lists and how to ensure public safety.
Arden said that a memorial for the Christchurch victims would be held in Parliament on Tuesday.
New Zealand police have described efforts to identify the victims as “detailed and complex work” that must be “completed thoroughly.”
In a statement posted online, Sunday, police said officers were continuing to work “closely and extensively with partners to identify the injured and deceased victims of the Christchurch attack.”
The statement added that a range of activities must be completed before names can be released publicly, “this includes next of kin notifications, which, in many cases, will have international aspects to them.”
Police officials said they understand the religious duty of the Islamic faith to bury the deceased as soon as possible and are “working closely with the Chief Coroner to do everything possible to expedite the process.”
Friday’s terror attack in New Zealand was one of the deadliest in the country’s history. At least 50 people were killed and another 50 wounded when a gunman, who police have identified as 28-year-old Australian citizen Brenton Harrison Tarrant, open-fired inside a pair of mosques in the city of Christchurch.
The terror attack in New Zealand Friday began at about 1:40 p.m, unleashing horrific scenes of violence that the gunman attempted to live-stream on social media.
CNN’s coverage of the initial aftermath of the shooting can be found here.
