New Zealand leader vows to change gun laws after shootings

UPDATE: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the main perpetrator in Friday’s deadly mosque shootings in Christchurch was a licensed gun owner and legally acquired the five guns used in the attacks. The country’s national gun laws will change, Ardern said, after at least 49 people were shot dead in two mosques. Authorities said most if not all were killed by an immigrant-hating white supremacist. People from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Turkey were among those injured and killed.

Police have detained several people in connection with the shooting but have not confirmed the specifics of who carried out which portions of the attack. One suspect, who is Australian, will appear in court Saturday morning on murder charges. U.S. President Donald Trump pledged “any assistance” the United States could give and tweeted that “we stand in solidarity with New Zealand” after speaking with Ardern.

Meanwhile, about 200 family members have gathered at Christchurch Hospital seeking news of their loved ones who were at the mosques when shooting broke out, and city officials said they were already digging graves and working to accommodate a large number of Muslim funerals in coming days.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (10:30 a.m.): Two mass shootings at New Zealand mosques during Friday afternoon prayers left at least 49 people dead and more than 40 injured. Authorities charged one suspect with murder, and two others remain in custody after the attacks. The deadliest shooting began at about 1:45 p.m. at the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, where at least 41 people died. Video footage believed to have been posted by the gunman showed him firing on worshippers inside the mosque for several minutes. He shot more people outside as he went to his car to get another rifle before returning to the mosque. The second attack about 3 miles away at the Linwood Islamic Center left at least seven people dead. One more victim died at the hospital. Police also found two improvised explosive devices in one car, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said. Authorities have not confirmed if the same suspect was responsible for both attacks.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison identified one of the detained suspects as an Australian citizen and condemned the “extremist, right-wing terrorist attack.” In a 74-page manifesto, an Australian man identified as Brenton Tarrant, 28, claimed responsibility for the violence, saying he chose New Zealand to show how the remotest parts of the world experience “mass immigration.” He also listed another mosque in Ashburton as a third target if he could get there.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the attack as an “unprecedented act of violence,” noting that several of the victims were likely refugees and migrants. “This is one of New Zealand’s darkest days,” she said. Lawmakers across Europe and others in Muslim-majority countries, including Indonesia, also condemned the attacks.