CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand -- The latest on shootings at mosques in New Zealand (all times local):

Facebook says it has taken down a video of shootings at a New Zealand mosque and removed the alleged shooter's accounts from its platforms after being alerted by police.

The man who allegedly carried out the shootings in Christchurch on Friday reportedly broadcast 17 minutes of the attack on a Facebook livestream.

Facebook New Zealand spokeswoman Mia Garlick said in a statement that the company is "also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we're aware."

She said the company "will continue working directly with New Zealand Police as their response and investigation continues."

Both YouTube owner Google and Twitter also say they're working to remove video of the shootings from their sites.

New Zealand health authorities say 48 people with gunshot wounds are being treated at Christchurch Hospital after mass shootings at two mosques killed 49 people.

The chief executive of the Canterbury District Health Board, David Meates, says the patients range from young children to adults and the injuries range from minor to critical.

Meates says 12 operating theatres are being used and some patients will need multiple surgeries.

He says about 200 family members are at the hospital early Saturday awaiting news about their loved ones.

New Zealand police say their investigation into mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch has extended 360 kilometres (240 miles) to the south where homes have been evacuated around a "location of interest" in Dunedin.

A police statement gave no further detail of how the location might be linked to the attacks in Christchurch that claimed at least 49 lives.

Police say homes around the location in Dunedin have been evacuated as a precaution.

Three people are being held in Christchurch, including one who has been charged with murder, and police say two improvised explosive devises were found in a car.

National carrier Air New Zealand has cancelled at least 17 flights in and out of Christchurch, saying it couldn’t screen customers and their baggage following deadly shootings at two mosques.

The airline said some smaller planes traveling on regional routes were canceled while larger jet planes would continue landing and taking off due to security screening processes already in place.

Typically, passengers on smaller turboprop aircraft traveling to or from Christchurch don’t go through security screening and are able to walk right onto the plane.

Air New Zealand said the safety of its customers and employees was paramount and apologized for the inconvenience.

Police say at least 49 people were killed in the shootings during Friday prayers at the mosques.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush says the death toll has increased to 49 in shootings at two mosques.

Bush told a news conference that a man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow. He would not say whether the same shooter was responsible for both attacks.

A man who earlier claimed responsibility said he was a 28-year-old Australian and described anti-immigrant motives in a manifesto.

Police earlier said four people had been taken into custody, and one had been identified as Australian. However, Bush didn’t mention the other people.

Bush clarified that police had found two improvised explosive devices in one car. He said they had disabled one and were in the process of disabling the second.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the national security threat level has been lifted from low to high after deadly shootings at two mosques.

Forty people were killed in Friday’s attack and four people were taken into custody, including one Australian. Ardern said none had been on any terror watch list.

The security threat level is now at the second-highest level. She said authorities had no reason to believe there were more suspects, but “we are not assuming that at this stage.”

A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings described anti-immigrant views in a manifesto.

Ardern said, “These are people who I would describe as having extremist views, that have absolutely no place in New Zealand.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the shootings at two mosques in New Zealand appear to have been a well-planned “terrorist attack.”

Ardern said 40 people were killed at two mosques in the city of Christchurch and more than 20 seriously injured.

She said earlier Friday that migrants and refugees appeared to be most affected by the shootings.

A man who claimed responsibility for the attack said he was a 28-year-old Australian and described anti-immigrant motives in a manifesto.

Police earlier said four people were taken into custody, and one has been identified as Australian.

Ardern said in a news conference, “It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack. From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says 40 people have been killed in an attack at mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Four people have been detained, and one is Australian.

Ardern said more than 20 people were seriously injured during the shootings at two mosques during Friday prayers.

Thirty fatalities occurred at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch. Seven of the dead were inside the suburban Linwood Masjid Mosque and three died outside the same mosque.

A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings said in a manifesto that he was a 28-year-old white Australian who came to New Zealand only to plan and train for the attack.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that one of the four people taken into custody in New Zealand’s mosque shootings is an Australian.

A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings said in a manifesto that he was a 28-year-old white Australian who came to New Zealand only to plan and train for the attack.

New Zealand police said they had arrested four people. Morrison on Friday confirmed one of those who were arrested was an Australian-born citizen. He said Australian authorities were assisting with the investigation.

Morrison said Australians were shocked, appalled and outraged by the attack. He described the gunman as “an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist.”

Indonesia’s foreign minister says six Indonesians were at the Al Noor Mosque in New Zealand when a shooting occurred and three of them escaped.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said, “We are looking for three other Indonesian citizens.”

Police have described multiple fatalities in shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch and say four people are in custody.

The Indonesian Embassy in Wellington sent a team to Christchurch that is coordinating with New Zealand officials.

The foreign ministry says there are 330 Indonesian citizens in Christchurch, 130 of them students.

It said it strongly condemns the attack. “The government and the people of Indonesia convey deep condolences to the victims and their families.”

New Zealand police say they’re not aware of other suspects beyond the four who have been arrested after two mosque shootings but they can’t be certain.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush did not elaborate on the suspects who are in custody.

The shootings occurred at two mosques in the Christchurch area during Friday afternoon prayers.

A witness described multiple deaths at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch. A witness who heard about five gunshots at the suburban Linwood Masjid Mosque said two wounded people were carried out on stretchers.

New Zealand police say they have taken into custody three men and one woman over the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the events Friday afternoon “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

The shootings involved multiple fatalities but authorities have not said how many.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police have defused a number of improvised explosive devices found on vehicles after the mosque shootings.

A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings left a 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto in which he explained who he was and his reasoning for his actions. He said he considered it a terrorist attack.

Police have warned people to avoid mosques anywhere in New Zealand following two shootings with multiple fatalities at two mosques in Christchurch.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said anyone thinking of going to a mosque should stay put and close their doors.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a Friday afternoon news conference that one suspect was in custody but “there could be others involved.”

A man who lives near the Masjid Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch said many people were dead there. A witness to a second shooting told New Zealand media he saw two wounded people being transported by rescuers afterward.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says following fatal shootings at two mosques in Christchurch it is “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”

Police said there were multiple fatalities and one person was in custody, but no details were immediately available.

Ardern said at a Friday afternoon news conference, “what has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.”

She said while many people affected may be migrants or refugees “they have chosen to make New Zealand their home and it is their home. They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not.”

New Zealand media say a shooting has occurred in a second mosque in the city of Christchurch.

No details were immediately available.

Earlier Friday afternoon, police had urged people to stay indoors as authorities responded to a shooting at the Masjid Al Noor mosque.

A neighbor described mass casualties inside the mosque and said he saw the gunman flee.

A witness says many people have been killed in a mass shooting at a mosque in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

Police have not described the scale of the Friday shooting but urged people in central Christchurch to stay indoors.

Witness Len Peneha says he saw a man dressed in black enter the Masjid Al Noor mosque and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running from the mosque in terror.

He says he also saw the gunman flee before emergency services arrived

Peneha says he went into the mosque to try and help: “I saw dead people everywhere.”</s>One gunman carried out both shootings at Al Noor and Linwood Masjid mosques in Christchurch, police confirmed on Saturday.

At a press conference Police Commissioner Mike Bush said that a single shooter travelled between mosques in seven minutes.

His confirmation comes after mixed reports on Friday that there were two shooters.

Mr Bush said hero officers were able to make an arrest 36 minutes after the first call was made.

A live audio of the arrest made clear that suspected shooter Brenton Tarrant was 'non-compliant' during his dramatic roadside arrest.

Tragically one child 'possibly two' had died in the attack, Mr Bush said.

Police were called at 1.42pm on Friday after a gunman, believed to be Tarrant, entered the Al Noor Mosque during afternoon prayers and opened fire on defenceless worshippers.

He then drove to nearby Linwood Masjid Mosque where he carried out another attack.

Forty-one people are believed to have been killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid.

The first victims of the terror attack have been confirmed as Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, Naeem Rashid and his son Talha, 21.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant - a 28-year-old Australian man from Grafton NSW - briefly fronted Christchurch District Court on Saturday following a mass shooting at Al Noor and Linwood Majid mosques on Friday afternoon.

Tarrant was charged with one count of murder but police say many more charges are expected to be laid - he has been remanded in custody and his duty lawyer did not apply for bail. He will reappear in the High Court on April 5.

A second man Daniel John Burrough, 18, has also been charged with 'exciting hostility or ill-will' in relation to the mosque attacks but he did not appear in court.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke at a press conference in the New Zealand city - following visits around Christchurch to pay respect to the victims - where she said the gunman had every intention to 'continue' the attack.

'There were two other firearms in the vehicle that the offender was in and it absolutely was his intention to continue with his attack,' Ms Ardern said at the press conference.

'There is a primary perpetrator here, but this is a complex and ongoing investigation and the commissioner will give more details on that tomorrow.

Ms Ardern confirmed that 39 people remain in hospital, with 11 in the Intensive Care Unit.

Timeline of terror: How the Christchurch shootings unfolded Friday March 15, 1.30pm local time (12.30am GMT): Gunman identifying himself as Brenton Tarrant live-streams mass shooting inside the Al Noor Mosque as Friday prayers are underway. The Bangladesh cricket team were on their way to the mosque at the time. 1.42pm: Police respond to reports of shots fired in central Christchurch. People are urged to stay indoors and report any suspicious behaviour. Shortly afterwards, all schools in the city are placed into lockdown. 1.49pm: Gunman believed to have travelled to Linwood Masjid Mosque, where he shot dead seven people. 2.10pm: Police confirm they are attending an 'evolving situation' involving an 'active shooter'. 2.18pm: Hero cops detain gunman in dramatic roadside arrest, captured on camera by passing motorist. 3.30pm: Two explosive devices attached to a car are found and disarmed by a bomb squad at Strickland Street, not far from the Al Noor Mosque. 4pm: One person confirmed to be in custody. New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush says there have been 'multiple fatalities' at two locations - both mosques. Mosques across New Zealand urged to shut their doors. 4.10pm: Prime minister Jacinda Ardern calls it 'one of New Zealand's darkest days'. 5.30pm: Mr Bush says three men and one woman are in custody. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison confirms one of those arrested is Australian. 7.30pm: Ms Ardern says 40 are dead and more than 20 are seriously injured but confirms the offender is in custody National security threat level is lifted from low to high. 7.45pm: Britomart train station in central Auckland is evacuated after bags are found unattended. The bags were deemed not suspicious. 9pm: Death toll rises to 49 and Police Commissioner Bush reveals a man in his late 20s has been charged with murder. Police are not looking for any named or identified suspects, he says, but adds that it would be 'wrong to assume that there is no-one else'. 11.50pm: Investigation extends 240 miles to the south where homes are evacuated around a 'location of interest' in Dunedin.

'Those injured range from young children to the elderly, they include men, women and children.'

The Prime Minister also confirmed Christchurch remain on high alert and that security at mosques will remain in place until authorities deem there is no longer any threat.

'Police are working to build a picture of this tragic event. A complex and comprehensive investigation is underway.'

Ms Ardern said specialists were working alongside the community to repatriate the bodies of the victims 'that is consistent with the Muslim faith' so families could bury their loved ones.

Ms Ardern commended the two police officers - who are rural community cops from Lincoln - for arresting the gunman as they put 'New Zealand first'.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush earlier commended police for their prompt response and said within 36 minutes of the first report to police of the shooting, the gunman was arrested and placed into custody.

'That is an incredibly fast response time. You had a mobile offender across large metropolitan city. I am very happy with the response of our staff,' Bush said.

'But we were also on scene at the mosques way earlier than that.'

Police arrested three men - including Tarrant - and a woman following Friday's attacks.

Commissioner Bush said that the third man was spotted carrying a gun by a police officer, but after questioning it was revealed the man was on his way to collect his children from school and took the weapon to protect himself.

'In terms of people who have been charged, we have - as you know, we apprehended four people on the day,' Mr Bush said.

'One was released quite early - a member of the public who just wanted to get their kids home, but decided to take a firearm.'

Commissioner Bush also thanked other first responders and support agencies for their response and effort and that some members of the public had shown 'absolute bravery'.</s>This frame from video that was livestreamed Friday, March 15, 2019, shows a gunman, who used the name Brenton Tarrant on social media, in a car before the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Shooter's Video via AP)

This frame from video that was livestreamed Friday, March 15, 2019, shows a gunman, who used the name Brenton Tarrant on social media, in a car before the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Shooter's Video via AP)

SYDNEY (AP) — The gunman behind at least one of the mosque shootings in New Zealand that left 49 people dead on Friday tried to make a few things clear in the manifesto he left behind: He is a 28-year-old Australian white nationalist who hates immigrants. He was angry about attacks in Europe that were perpetrated by Muslims. He wanted revenge, and he wanted to create fear.

He also, quite clearly, wanted attention.

Though he claimed not to covet fame, the gunman — who authorities identified as Brenton Harrison Tarrant — left behind a 74-page document posted on social media under his name in which he said he hoped to survive the attack to better spread his views in the media.

He also livestreamed to the world in graphic detail his assault on the worshippers at Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque.

That rampage killed at least 41 people, while an attack on a second mosque in the city not long after killed several more. Police did not say whether the same person was responsible for both shootings. Tarrant appeared briefly in court on Saturday morning amid tight security and showed no emotion as the judge read the charge against him.

While his manifesto and video were an obvious and contemptuous ploy for infamy, they do contain important clues for a public trying to understand why anyone would target dozens of innocent people who were simply spending an afternoon engaged in prayer.

There could be no more perplexing a setting for a mass slaughter than New Zealand, a nation so placid and so isolated from the mass shootings that plague the U.S. that police officers rarely carry guns.

Yet the gunman himself highlighted New Zealand’s remoteness as a reason he chose it. He wrote that an attack in New Zealand would show that no place on earth was safe and that even a country as far away as New Zealand is subject to mass immigration.

He said he grew up in a working-class Australian family, had a typical childhood and was a poor student. Tarrant’s relatives in the Australian town of Grafton contacted police after learning of the shooting and were helping with the investigation, local authorities said. Tarrant has spent little time in Australia in the past four years and only had minor traffic infractions on his record.

A woman who said she was a colleague of his when he worked as a personal trainer in Grafton said she was shocked by the allegations against him.

“I can’t ... believe that somebody I’ve probably had daily dealings with and had shared conversations and interacted with would be able of something to this extreme,” Tracey Gray told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The rambling manifesto is filled with confusing and seemingly contradictory assertions about his beliefs.

Beyond his white nationalistic views, he claimed to be an environmentalist and said he is a fascist who believes China is the nation that most aligns with his political and social values. He said he has contempt for the wealthiest 1 percent. And he singled out American conservative commentator Candace Owens as the person who had influenced him the most, while saying “the extreme actions she calls for are too much, even for my tastes.”

In a tweet, Owens responded by saying that if the media portrayed her as the inspiration for the attack, it had better hire lawyers.

The manifesto also included a single reference to President Donald Trump in which the author asked and answered the question of whether he was a Trump supporter: “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.”

Throughout the manifesto, the theme he returns to most often is conflict between people of European descent and Muslims, often framing it in terms of the Crusades.

Among his hate-filled statements is a claim that he was motivated toward violence by an episode that occurred in 2017 while he was touring through Western Europe. That was when an Uzbek man drove a truck into a crowd of people in Stockholm, killing five.

He said his desire for violence grew when he arrived in France, where he said he was offended by the sight of immigrants in the cities and towns he visited.

Three months ago, he said, he started planning to target Christchurch. He said he has donated to many nationalist groups, but claimed not to be a direct member of any organization. However, he admitted contacts with an anti-immigration group called the reborn Knights Templar and said he got the approval of Anders Breivik for the attack, a claim that has not been verified.

Breivik is a right-wing Norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in Oslo and a nearby island in 2011. Breivik’s lawyer Oeystein Storrvik told Norway’s VG newspaper that his client, who is in prison, has “very limited contacts with the surrounding world, so it seems very unlikely that he has had contact” with the New Zealand gunman.

The gunman rambled on about the supposed aims for the attack, which included reducing immigration by intimidating immigrants and driving a wedge between NATO and the Turkish people. He also said he hoped to further polarize and destabilize the West, and spark a civil war in the United States that would ultimately result in a separation of races. The attack has had the opposite impact, with condemnation of the bloodshed pouring in from all quarters of the globe, and calls for unity against hatred and violence.

The gunman used various hate symbols associated with the Nazis and white supremacy. For instance, the number 14 is seen on his rifle, a possible reference to the “14 Words,” a white supremacist slogan attributed in part to Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also used the symbol of the Schwarze Sonne, or black sun, which “has become synonymous with myriad far-right groups who traffic in neo-Nazi,” according to the center.

His victims, he wrote, were chosen because he saw them as invaders who would replace the white race. He predicted he would feel no remorse for their deaths. And in the video he livestreamed of his shooting, no remorse can be seen or heard as he sprays terrified worshippers with bullets again and again, sometimes firing at people he has already cut down.

The gunman — a licensed gun owner who bought the five guns used in the shootings legally — left a scene of carnage that shocked the nation, and the world. It was, in the words of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern “one of New Zealand’s darkest days.”</s>One gunman carried out both shootings at Al Noor and Linwood Masjid mosques in Christchurch, police confirmed on Saturday.

At a press conference Police Commissioner Mike Bush said that a single shooter travelled between mosques in seven minutes.

His confirmation comes after mixed reports on Friday that there were two shooters.

Mr Bush said hero officers were able to make an arrest 36 minutes after the first call was made.

A live audio of the arrest made clear that suspected shooter Brenton Tarrant was 'non-compliant' during his dramatic roadside arrest.

Tragically one child 'possibly two' had died in the attack, Mr Bush said.

Police were called at 1.42pm on Friday after a gunman, believed to be Tarrant, entered the Al Noor Mosque during afternoon prayers and opened fire on defenceless worshippers.

He then drove to nearby Linwood Masjid Mosque where he carried out another attack.

Forty-one people are believed to have been killed at the Al Noor mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid.

The first victims of the terror attack have been confirmed as Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, Naeem Rashid and his son Talha, 21.

Brenton Harrison Tarrant - a 28-year-old Australian man from Grafton NSW - briefly fronted Christchurch District Court on Saturday following a mass shooting at Al Noor and Linwood Majid mosques on Friday afternoon.

Tarrant was charged with one count of murder but police say many more charges are expected to be laid - he has been remanded in custody and his duty lawyer did not apply for bail. He will reappear in the High Court on April 5.

A second man Daniel John Burrough, 18, has also been charged with 'exciting hostility or ill-will' in relation to the mosque attacks but he did not appear in court.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern spoke at a press conference in the New Zealand city - following visits around Christchurch to pay respect to the victims - where she said the gunman had every intention to 'continue' the attack.

'There were two other firearms in the vehicle that the offender was in and it absolutely was his intention to continue with his attack,' Ms Ardern said at the press conference.

'There is a primary perpetrator here, but this is a complex and ongoing investigation and the commissioner will give more details on that tomorrow.

Ms Ardern confirmed that 39 people remain in hospital, with 11 in the Intensive Care Unit.

Timeline of terror: How the Christchurch shootings unfolded Friday March 15, 1.30pm local time (12.30am GMT): Gunman identifying himself as Brenton Tarrant live-streams mass shooting inside the Al Noor Mosque as Friday prayers are underway. The Bangladesh cricket team were on their way to the mosque at the time. 1.42pm: Police respond to reports of shots fired in central Christchurch. People are urged to stay indoors and report any suspicious behaviour. Shortly afterwards, all schools in the city are placed into lockdown. 1.49pm: Gunman believed to have travelled to Linwood Masjid Mosque, where he shot dead seven people. 2.10pm: Police confirm they are attending an 'evolving situation' involving an 'active shooter'. 2.18pm: Hero cops detain gunman in dramatic roadside arrest, captured on camera by passing motorist. 3.30pm: Two explosive devices attached to a car are found and disarmed by a bomb squad at Strickland Street, not far from the Al Noor Mosque. 4pm: One person confirmed to be in custody. New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush says there have been 'multiple fatalities' at two locations - both mosques. Mosques across New Zealand urged to shut their doors. 4.10pm: Prime minister Jacinda Ardern calls it 'one of New Zealand's darkest days'. 5.30pm: Mr Bush says three men and one woman are in custody. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison confirms one of those arrested is Australian. 7.30pm: Ms Ardern says 40 are dead and more than 20 are seriously injured but confirms the offender is in custody National security threat level is lifted from low to high. 7.45pm: Britomart train station in central Auckland is evacuated after bags are found unattended. The bags were deemed not suspicious. 9pm: Death toll rises to 49 and Police Commissioner Bush reveals a man in his late 20s has been charged with murder. Police are not looking for any named or identified suspects, he says, but adds that it would be 'wrong to assume that there is no-one else'. 11.50pm: Investigation extends 240 miles to the south where homes are evacuated around a 'location of interest' in Dunedin.

'Those injured range from young children to the elderly, they include men, women and children.'

The Prime Minister also confirmed Christchurch remain on high alert and that security at mosques will remain in place until authorities deem there is no longer any threat.

'Police are working to build a picture of this tragic event. A complex and comprehensive investigation is underway.'

Ms Ardern said specialists were working alongside the community to repatriate the bodies of the victims 'that is consistent with the Muslim faith' so families could bury their loved ones.

Ms Ardern commended the two police officers - who are rural community cops from Lincoln - for arresting the gunman as they put 'New Zealand first'.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush earlier commended police for their prompt response and said within 36 minutes of the first report to police of the shooting, the gunman was arrested and placed into custody.

'That is an incredibly fast response time. You had a mobile offender across large metropolitan city. I am very happy with the response of our staff,' Bush said.

'But we were also on scene at the mosques way earlier than that.'

Police arrested three men - including Tarrant - and a woman following Friday's attacks.

Commissioner Bush said that the third man was spotted carrying a gun by a police officer, but after questioning it was revealed the man was on his way to collect his children from school and took the weapon to protect himself.

'In terms of people who have been charged, we have - as you know, we apprehended four people on the day,' Mr Bush said.

'One was released quite early - a member of the public who just wanted to get their kids home, but decided to take a firearm.'

Commissioner Bush also thanked other first responders and support agencies for their response and effort and that some members of the public had shown 'absolute bravery'.</s>A 28-year-old man from Nottinghamshire has been charged with murder following an incident in Whitby last month.

The charge related to an incident which occurred around 12.05am on Sunday, 24 February outside Porto Pizza on Windsor Terrace, in which a 47-year-old man was assaulted.

He was taken to hospital but later died on Thursday, 28 February.

The man has been remanded in custody to appear at Scarborough Magistrates Court on Monday, 18 March.</s>There are "multiple fatalities" after shootings at two mosques in the city of Christchurch, police in New Zealand have confirmed.



Three men and one woman are in custody, police commissioner Mike Bush told a news conference.



Witnesses told local media they ran for their lives, and saw people bleeding on the ground outside the Al Noor mosque.



Authorities advised all mosques to shut down until further notice. All Christchurch schools are on lockdown.



In a statement to the nation, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said details were not yet clear, "but I can tell you now - this will be one of New Zealand's darkest days".



Mohan Ibrahim, who was in the area of the Al Noor mosque, told the New Zealand Herald: "At first we thought it was an electric shock but then all these people started running.



"I still have friends inside.



"I have been calling my friends but there are many I haven't heard from. I am scared for my friends lives."



It is not yet known how many shooters there were, but the Herald reports that one gunman is believed to be an Australian who has written a manifesto outlining his intentions. In it, he espouses far-right ideology and anti-immigrant ideology.



Unverified footage purportedly taken by the shooter has emerged, suggesting he filmed as he shot victims. Police called on the public not to share the "extremely distressing" material online.
A gunman involved in the shootings of at least one of the two mosques is identified as Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian man.