the people. who die will. be although there are some reports and i think people have. different long. way to. get on the ground with. what you just described as. holding. but also saying. the gunman. believed. they were in the works for. three months. along.

nor are the police telling people everywhere in new zealand not to go to mosques today do we know if there are other situations elsewhere other than christchurch. there. are reports. tell us about the reaction is because as we've heard from the prime minister this is really an unprecedented situation in new zealand this is not the type of story that comes out of new zealand what are people saying how are people dealing with this tragedy. just completely unrelated to.

the only thing. i learned. is very want to. fish leaders people and cry fish or lear by being told to stay indoors there is very. thank you nora for speaking to us that was journalist or a tupelo joining us there on the line with the latest norah telling us that there are reports of at least nine people killed police haven't confirmed that number yet nine people reportedly killed in christchurch in two when siddons set mosques in the city on the southern island of new zealand this friday during friday prayers as a gunman entering the main mosque in christchurch which was built in one thousand nine hundred eighty five the first mosque in scientific christchurch where hundreds were gathered for friday prayers and just shooting at people the gunman was reportedly and this has been confirmed wearing a helmet that had a camera on it and was streaming the shooting and this has appeared online on

social media but we are of course not showing it to you here on al-jazeera the prime minister of new zealand just into our dean held a news conference a short while ago and she has described this as one of her country's daucus days. presently the police do have one suspect in custody however the could be others involved. all sorry there are multiple sings involved in this incident as well police will be giving more details as they can is the situation unfolds whilst i cannot give any confirmation at this stage around fatalities in casual tease what i can say is that it is clear that this is one of new zealand's darkest days. clearly what has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented ect of violence many of those who will have been

directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to new zealand they may even be refuted genes here they have chosen to make new zealand their home and it is their home they are us the person who has good pitch why did this violence against us is not they have no place in new zealand it is no place in new zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence which is it is clear towards for now my thoughts and i'm sure the thoughts of all new zealanders with those who have being affected and also with the families my thoughts also to those in christchurch who are still dealing with an unfolding situation the advice from police continues to be that people remain indoors i had knowledge that they may mean that some families are separated but please continue to listen out for

information as it comes to light that's been directly provided by the new zealand place with food information but as i say they remain in lockdown we are for teach really still dealing with an evolving situation and again as i say across multiple . sites please be assured though the police actively managing the situation christchurch hospital is dedicated to treating those who are arriving at the hospital as we speak as well as soon as i leave here i will be returning directly on a kidney a flight to wellington i didn't caesar already convening in wellington i'll be looking to meet with them as soon as i land it's my expectation that once i arrive and have been briefed i intend to speak again publicly after that point. it is coming up to four fifty pm friday afternoon in new zealand three fifty am g m t

and if you joining us on al-jazeera we are covering breaking news out of new zealand this friday where a suspect is in custody after shootings at two mosques in christchurch on the island an incident the prime minister of new zealand has described as one of her country's darkest days what we know so far is that there are multiple fatalities after the shootings at these two mosques the first shooting happened at the main mosque in central christchurch a gunman a suspect is said to have entered the mosque and was live streaming video of the attack online and even left a lengthy racist manifesto where he outlined his motivation for the attack and described the victims as invaders is reportedly now the second shooting happened at another mosque in christ church linwood mosque no reports on and no information rather on the number of people who were injured or killed there but earlier we spoke to a journalist in new zealand who said that some reports say up to nine people may

have died no confirmation yet from police on that and as soon as we have more information on the fatalities and casualties we will give that bring that to you of course here on al-jazeera now rachel die. is a journalist said radio station used dogs said. earlier she described to us what she had seen. well i was driving to vote hegel a pack after the fist and didn't take one twenty pm on that thing evan your mosque or police kind of ambulances absolutely even where my husband went to the hospital when the police jumped out of ahmed cars with guns making sure that no one was in the everyone had stories of chaos around the city seem to the whole city is in lockdown the schools shot the social eve rebuilding in christchurch people and being told to stay hard and it's been a second shooting at a mosque and what about fifteen minutes drive from the first mosque we don't have

the numbers it's a telephone we've heard reports and we can see people being taken injured and to hospital we do know that the bunker cricket team were at the king's ave mostly the third shooting took place. at this stage figures are being released we just know that multiple people and and we do know that the we've understood their fatality but images have been released to us that really is and i'm holding story and that gun mean that on the loose in the city. and another journalist that we spoke to earlier here on al-jazeera also telling us that police have said that there was a bomb in a car that crashed on a street stricken street in christchurch and people had been evacuated from that area so clearly we are dealing with multiple situations two shootings at two mosques in christchurch friday morning and also a bomb discovered in a car in the city let's now hear from another witness who

described inside what happened inside the first mosque can you tell us what you've been hearing he was whiting at the cordon on things evan you. heard this stage i don't know where my wife is she was in the ladies' room. after the shooting or a try to go in there to see where there was a reason. i don't know where the ladies were shorter not. too quickly. premisses so i did so were you inside the mosque at the time of the shooting where were you the south and i was inside the mosque. i was in the side room. and. started the salmon. everybody was. very peaceful calm and quiet. really

is. stalking everyone is quiet in it is a pin drop silence but then suddenly the shortest shooting started so it started in the main room. the shooter must have come through the hallway i was in the side room so i did not see who was shooting but. some people were running out through my. through my. room where i was in and also ice of some people had blood on the body in some people who were limping their dead woman tina i realized that it was really serious and you know a couple of people there say to me that you are on whole chain you could to get out now so i tried to get out in i pushed myself the big where my car was parked in i was there behind the car and then from there i was

hearing there today shooting after shooting of the shooting it went on. six minute or more in. i could hear screaming and the crying and. saw some people you know or drop dead. some people were running away i was on the roof. could not go in also i didn't want to because i was afraid what was going to happen to the ladies what was going to be going to a wife so i stayed there were like really short he did his i'm a circle inside the mosque in he didn't come in the wake of the ways he could have got me. that is an absolutely terrifying account i'm so sorry for everything that you've gone through this afternoon thank you so much for. for your sympathy so

what have police been telling you here on the court and about the family that inside the mosque and getting any information about what's happening must be terrifying about what happened you know when some stayed in after about ten minutes i was still in the back in the when i thought that probably the shorter has left then i pushed myself to get inside the mosque in it was unbelievable i saw in the main the room on the right inside there were twenty. plus people some of them were there some of them were screaming on the left hand side. ten plus people some of them were dead in some of them were screaming in there asking me is there any i'm bullish in the way they said you know be patient in ice so on the flu the bullet shells swarm many hundreds hundreds of in then. on you know on one day maybe

a guy was trying to. run out and he was shot he was there there i saw in the from the holy to the room i was seen a guy was trying to come in that room and he was shot from the back he was there in there in also a guy who was you know probably trying to get into the ladies room and his this did what it is there. anything in at the big also you know. a couple of people were drop dead in their church teaches you know police came and told me you know you must get out in. the guided me to come. in and now here i am so while all this was happening you were whiting in a back room in a wheelchair you know these terrible sounds an awful thing serious hearing of us being so frightening. i was not in the back room i was you know back of the

mosque in the in the car just behind make my car was parked in. here it was. frightening but probably you know my feeling was there point you know what would have been would have been i was not frightened but i was really worried about what was happening to other people thank you so much for your account i really appreciate everything that you're telling us today and we're glad that you're carrying hottentots or or formation certain. match another. if you're just joining us on al-jazeera it's coming up to five pm in new zealand four am empty and this is the latest on the unfolding situation in christchurch new zealand police have confirmed that a number of fatalities have occurred after shootings in two mosques in christchurch one person is in custody but they may be more on the loose witnesses have described

seeing a man dressed in black entering the main mosque. nor mosque in central christchurch where the first attack happened dozens of shots were heard and people ran out in terror and speaking not a long not a long time ago new zealand's prime minister just on dan said this is one of the country's darkest days. speak to ana burns francis who is a reporter with t.v. and said ana thank you so much for being with us please tell us what we know happened so far what's the latest the authorities are saying. the assassin and it is still an unfolding situation but there are developments coming through every few minutes we now have a confirmed death toll of nine people across two shootings at two different mosques

in the city this afternoon there are still dozens of people injured in those attacks and the city is still trying to respond to what is none folding situation as you see it we have one person taken into custody but police have told us that there are a number of participants a number of offenders believed to be involved in this coordinated attack and there are fears that that means one more gunman still on the loose the city is in lockdown it's just coming up to five o'clock in the evening here and all schools across the city are still on lockdown children are being held at school that's two hours after it would normally end public buildings and government departments are shut down as well none of this stuff can leave either public areas have been cleared and that means as the prime minister said this will be a worrying time for families as they try to connect with their loved ones but at this stage it's a holding pattern nobody in the city is going anywhere until police find out just what is going on to mosques have been targeted from what we know and. what can you tell us about the area is where these mosques on the and the communities that have

been talking to us. well the first attack at the el nor mosque in the so we're very close to the central city it's quite close to headley park a big beautiful park in the middle of christchurch city and that's not too far away only a short drive about four minutes or so from the main hospital where the victims of this a tech are being treated a second incident at the lynwood mosque is another short drive away perhaps ten fifteen minutes away linwood in new zealand has traditionally been a poor a suburb a list economically wealthy suburb and it is not uncommon for mosques across the city christchurch residents would be well used to seeing a muslim population gathering for a. day like today which is friday prayers here in new zealand and that's added to

the concern about this being a coordinated attack the fact that this was a day that the muslim population in question which was gathering and as we've heard from the prime minister himself this doesn't happen in new zealand this is unprecedented for new zealand how have people been reacting. that's right prime minister just under a din has described the says an unprecedented to act of extreme violence this is something new zealanders would just have never have seen many germs have ever experienced or seen in their lifetime we have reasonably strict gun control in new zealand you don't see anyone carrying open carrying arms around the city or around the countryside and adverse for an attack like this to have a could has certainly put obviously the population of crash into a deep state of shock and as well the rest of the country. are taking no risks here they've put police to put every mosque on lockdown across the entire country state

patrol cars to every mosque around new zealand to make sure that they are safe the soft known telling mosques to shut their doors until they've resolved this incident and one last question before we let you go because i know this is a very busy day for you what do we know about the suspect he was reported to the wearing a helmet and live streaming the first shooting the first attack inside the our normal. so we have reports from the first shooting that there were two offenders evolved in that attack that they were both wearing military style uniforms with wearing helmets black helmets and carrying what appeared to be machine gun like. we know that they carried out that attack and then one uses spoken to a witness who says they saw one gunman the second seen at the lynwood mosque carry

option of tech there before taking off and his car within understand from police that they have found a car that met shows that description with a bomb inside at the soft unknown to now investigating that as another incident in association with this wider attack and we're not sure if that is the same person who has since been arrested thank you very much for that burns francis joining us there from oakland in new zealand and anna telling is said that police have confirmed that at least nine people have died have been killed after two shootings at two mosques in christchurch new zealand this friday the first shooting happened at the main mosque in christchurch in central christchurch and the second shooting was at the lynwood mosque all saw in christchurch a city on lockdown as we heard there from an infant all mosques across new zealand on lockdown police telling people not to go to mosques today and as you can imagine

this is a serious concern as today is friday and this is a day that muslims gather to pray in mosques on friday a day of worship of course and they would have been hundreds of people inside the first mosque that was a time to in christchurch joining us now on the phone is will traffic who works for the new zealand herald will you were on the way to the scene of one of the attacks sander stan tell us about what you know. what it. to look at what you had before obviously but at this point two locations all attacks the elmo mosque in the city's central area is way below them which majid mosque we have for port said at this point unconfirmed reports that up to twenty seven people might have been checked died in this incident and it is continue to be classified as an ongoing situation with the city and locked down now obviously what

you could before as well was the church was one of the shortest was in custody however they continue to cause an ongoing situation as they attempt as we've heard from a number of witnesses to track down all the potential commons so one shooter and custody and possibly others on the new sign magine people are panicked in the city . people and very connected as you said before this is not something that happens in new zealand this is not something that is a regular thing but you might sort of understand an album called the world so new zealand is i think a quite shocked by this the police are obviously telling people if you're in the city center and question day in it was free don't go outside but at the same token obviously a lot of people were outside on the streets when we had one report of one of the gunmen leaving the mosque and actually actively pursuing people down the road and

putting a child that was among that. we've we have reports this child has gone on the asli it was an active shooting situation within mosques and and even out on the streets. the prime minister was asked during her short statement during a news conference whether she would describe this says hate crime because obviously the muslim community was targeted here and she didn't use the the the hate crime you say and she didn't use the word hate crime to describe it but clearly this is what it looks like curious to know what has been sort of the relations between the muslim community and the others even in a city like rise rise church is was this an issue for cries of george. orwell cheering us on modestly there are issues. in no country so spider sisters around this you know muslim relations with the general community i

suppose but in christchurch you know that that is a situation and that people are so shocked by that that they have more the issues being trickled on a regular basis and i think more questions here in the shop which is this information that with police treatment where it appears this individual has left the australian territory and come to new zealand to commit this crime so i get the sense of sort of devastation and sound and quite a lot of the community question thank you thank you so much for speaking to us. if you're just joining us. on al-jazeera we are covering breaking news from new zealand christchurch new zealand where police have confirmed a number of fatalities after shootings in two marks two mosques at least nine people confirmed killed but the number could be much higher unconfirmed reports talking of more than twenty seven people killed one person is in custody but they

may be more on the loose witnesses have described seeing a man dressed in black entering the nor mosque the main mosque in central christchurch where the first attack happened dozens of shots were heard and people ran out in fear speaking not long ago new zealand's prime minister. said this attack was one of the country's daucus days. presently the police do have one suspect in custody however the could be others involved. all sorry there are multiple sings involved in this incident as well police will be giving more details as they can is the situation unfolds whilst i cannot give any confirmation at this stage around fatalities in case your t. s. what i can say is that it is clear that this is one of new zealand's darkest days.

clearly what has happened here is an extraordinary and unprecedented ect of violence many of those who will have been directly affected by this shooting may be migrants to new zealand they may even be refuted here they have chosen to make new sealing their home and it is their home they are us the person who has good pitch why did this violence against us is not they have no place in new zealand it is not a place in new zealand for such acts of extreme and unprecedented violence which is it is clear towards for now my thoughts and i'm sure the thoughts of all new zealanders with those who have being affected and also with the families my thoughts also to those in christchurch who are still dealing with an unfolding

situation the advice from police continues to be that people remain indoors i had knowledge that they may mean that some families are separated but please continue to listen out for information as it comes to light that's been directly provided by the new zealand place with food information but as i say they remain in lockdown we are potentially still dealing with an evolving situation and again as i say across multiple. sites please be assured though the police actively managing the situation christchurch hospital is dedicated to treating those who are arriving at the hospital as we speak as well as soon as i leave here i will be returning directly on i can your flight to wellington i didn't caesar already convening in wellington are we looking to meet with them as soon as i land it's my expectation that once i arrive and have been briefed i intend to speak again publicly after

that point the city of christchurch new zealand on down this friday after at least two shootings at two mosques in the city on the southern island police saying that at least nine people have been killed but some reports unconfirmed talking at least twenty seven people killed in these shootings two shootings one suspect is in custody and the prime minister talking earlier about this being the darkest days on new zealand's history she is now heading to a briefing in wellington with the security intelligence services there earlier we also spoke to another journalist who is based in christchurch and who told us as we've heard from the prime minister and others that the situation is still unfolding. so. do we long ago.