New Zealand Mosque Attacks: 49 Dead In Christchurch

A terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand left 49 people dead and in a manifesto that police say a man who partially broadcasted the attack live left behind, he said he was following the example of extremists like Dylann Roof, who killed nine people at a South Carolina church in 2015, The Washington Post reports.

According to the Post, 41 people were killed at Al Noor Mosque and seven were shot and killed at a mosque about three miles away. A man in his 20s has been charged with murder and at least four people are in custody but only three are believed to be involved in the attack.

"What has happened in Christchurch is an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence. It has no place in New Zealand," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. "Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities – New Zealand is their home – they are us."

Ardern said the perpetrator of the violence has no place in New Zealand.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on mosques, Islamic schools and other community institutions in the United States and around the world to take additional security precautions, especially during communal prayer.

"My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques," President Donald Trump said. "49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!"

To stay up to date with the story and read the latest developments, you can follow The Washington Post's coverage here.