New Zealand prime minister said 40 killed in Christchurch mosque shootings

(Image credit: Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

last updated 15 March 2019

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Friday that 40 people were killed in a "terrorist attack" on two mosques in Christchurch, during what she called "one of New Zealand's darkest days." Christchurch Hospital said it is treating 48 people for gunshot wounds, including young children. Police have four suspects in custody — three men and one women — and Ardern said none of them were on an active terrorist watchlist. There is no reason to believe any suspects remain at large, she added, "but we are not assuming that at this stage."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that one of the four people arrested is an Australian-born citizen, and "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist." A man who claimed responsibility for the attack and published a manifesto said he is a 28-year-old white Australian who traveled to New Zealand specifically to plan and carry out this attack. Ardern reiterated a request from police and local Muslim groups that people stop sharing the manifesto and video the purported gunman took before and during the attack, saying the views of the attackers "have no place in New Zealand and in fact no place in this world."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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