welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers they are certainly in north america christchurch, they are certainly and around the globe. taking precautionary measures in my name is mike embley. other places with the closure of our top stories: a number of people are killed after shootings at two mosques mosques and a warning for people to be vigilant across the country. i in the new zealand guess one of their main fears would be triggering any sort of copycat city of christchurch. attack, which we know is a risk in these sorts of dynamic extreme there was screaming and crying and i situations. but clearly the focus at the moment is the safety of people saw some people drop dead. in christchurch. hywel. thank you new zealand police say for that. in a moment we will hear there have been "multiple fatalities" following from the prime minister, jacinda what they described as a "tragic ardern. she made it clear that she series of events" in was keen to get to wellington, the the canterbury region on friday. capital, as fast as possible. we will hear from capital, as fast as possible. we one person is in custody. will hearfrom her in a moment. just the prime minister spoke a short time ago about the gravity to recap, the new zealand city of of the situation. christ church in lockdown as police search for an armed gunman who opened fire in a mosque. we what i can say is that it is clear understand there were attacks on at that this is one of new zealand's darkest days. least two mosques, the al noor, where it is possible five or six people were killed, perhaps more, certainly doesn't injured, and the linwood mosque where some witnesses are talking about five or six

bodies. it is not clear. we cannot confirm that. the police are talking about a number of fidelity ‘s, a number of scenes. really unprecedented, they have issued a warning nationwide for all mosques to close their doors and advise eve ryo ne to close their doors and advise everyone to refrain from visiting any mosque until further notice will stop they have asked anyone to remain indoors, to get indoors if they possibly can. even if that means they are separated, temporarily, from their families and loved ones. let us hearfrom temporarily, from their families and loved ones. let us hear from the premise to. presently the police do have one suspect in custody however there could be others involved. also, there are multiple scenes involved in this incident as well and police will be giving more details as they can. was that can not any confirmation at this stage around

fatalities and casualties 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 act of violence. many of those who will have been directly affected by the shooting may be migrants to new zealand possibly refugees here. they chose to make new zealand their home and it is there home. they are asked. the person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not. they have no place in new zealand. there is no place in new zealand. there is no place in new zealand for such act of extreme and unprecedented violence which it is clear this act was. for now, my thoughts and i'm sure the thoughts of all new zealanders with those who have been affected and with their

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 acknowledge that that may mean some families are separated but please continue to listen out for information as it comes to light that has indirectly provided by the new zealand police with further information. as they say, please remain in lockdown. were potentially dealing with a evolving situation across multiple sites. please be assured that police are actively managing the situation. christchurch hospital is dedicated to treating those who are arriving at the hospital as we speak as well. that was the prime ministerjacinda ardern there. a senior member of the mosque was in the building at the time of the shooting, i think we are referring to masjid al noor. he has been speaking to a journalist near

the scene. i warn you he does describe upsetting scenes. the scene. i warn you he does describe upsetting sceneslj the scene. i warn you he does describe upsetting scenes. i was inside the mosque. i was in a side room and the imams had begun the sermon so room and the imams had begun the sermon so everything was settled and it was peaceful, calm and quiet as it was peaceful, calm and quiet as it usually is when the imam starts talking. everybody is quiet and you could hear a pin drop. and then suddenly the shooting started. it began in the main room because the shooter must have come through the whole way and i was in a side room so whole way and i was in a side room soi whole way and i was in a side room so i did not see who was shooting but i saw that some people were running out through my room where i was in and i saw some people had blood on their body and some were linking. at that moment i realised

it was serious. —— some were linking. a few people told me i that i was linking. a few people told me i that iwas ina linking. a few people told me i that i was in a wheelchair and i had to get out now. i try to get out and i pushed myself to the back where my car was parked and i was behind my car. and from there i heard shooting after shooting after shooting that went on, six minutes or more and i could hear screaming and crying and i saw some people drop dead. and some people were running away. i was ina some people were running away. i was in a wheelchair and i could not go anywhere and i did not want to because i was afraid of what would happen to the ladies and to my wife. i stayed there but luckily the

shooter did his massacre inside the mosque and he did not come out the back. that was a senior member of masjid al noor speaking there earlier. we understand there was an attack at the linwood mosque nearby. there are reports of five or six bodies in each location. we cannot confirm that. that is absolutely not confirmed. police to confirm a number of fatalities at a number of scenes as well as a suspect in custody. there is footage around of somebody facedown on the pavement with a weapon nearby that police are saying there could be a number of others involved. the prime minister said it is clear that this is one of new zealand starkers days and she spoke of an extraordinary act of violence. there is an unprecedented warning from police to all mosques across new zealand to close their

doors. it is particularly tricky day as we have been saying because this was a day that a climate change protest was to take place and many children were not in school, they we re children were not in school, they were in open spaces around the country. hundreds in christchurch and in wellington at climate change rallies where they were protesting. there was been a great difficulty in making sure people are kept safe. police are stressing that as far as possible everybody should be off the streets and if possible lock in a building. earlier we heard from ricky cambridge was locked in his office building. i was out having lunch and i began to walk back towards the office and saw a number of police cars and ambulances going in multiple directions. i was walking to get back to my desk and there was a lot of confusion. we we re there was a lot of confusion. we were not sure of what was going on. clicking on the local news sites to

see what was going on and all that came through. we are all currently locked in the office and waiting to hear more. and while you were in the street walking back, were you told by police to get off the street and into hiding? not at that point. they we re into hiding? not at that point. they were all moving at high speed through a lot of traffic, general lunchtime traffic. they were setting up lunchtime traffic. they were setting up cordons and the like. there was probably about five minutes before to —— two when things happened so not where i was but i could not see any officers though there were a lot of police cars around. what is your impression of how the police were responding? is new zealand set up to

deal with a situation like this? the reports that we get from the local media are saying that protocols are under way at the hospital and they have cleared the emergency room and it is hard to tell, standing on the street seeing police cars with sirens in all directions and speeds, it is hard to tell what the plan is andi it is hard to tell what the plan is and i suppose it is a difficult situation. i could not really see enough to make a comment on it. that is understood. from what you hear locally is this still an active situation? are there still people with guns shooting?” situation? are there still people with guns shooting? i wouldn't imagine that there was any sort of shooting currently. i don't really know. i have seen some photos on the

news websites that they have caught people. but nothing about being free to move. as far as we are aware there may still be people out there but we are uncertain. i do not believe there is any active shooting still going on. as our correspondent was saying, there has been what seems to be some kind of right—wing ma nifesto seems to be some kind of right—wing manifesto posted online, possibly with head cam footage from the shooter of the incident and we are obviously not using that at the moment. could you does a better description, for people who do not know the area at all, of that area of christchurch? it is central christchurch. it is right on the park, it on the cbd and the hospital

is between the park and the cbd and the mosque is on the other side of the mosque is on the other side of the park. further away there is residential. it is the central area with a lot of daytime traffic and we are in an office building a block away so... i don't know. i don't know what to say about that. there are manyjoggers who like to go free run at lunchtime and that. we heard reports that another mosque had been evacuated. there was no confirmation at all that there was another shooter involved. have you heard any more locally about that was to mark only what i have read on the news, another local news website had a comment from somebody who had had armed defenders, squad members come through the building. that was on

one of the websites. so... that's the impression i got from that but that was some time ago now that they we re that was some time ago now that they were still looking for somebody. that i am not sure. and that was ritchie from christchurch who had been heading back from lunch and was told to enter his office and lock. lets speak to our correspondent now. encase people who have just lets speak to our correspondent now. encase people who havejustjoined us, we understand multiple fatalities in at least two mosques in the new zealand city of christchurch. one suspect in custody but police say there could be others involved and other sites? we are starting to learn more about the person in custody. we are seeing images taken the rare heights in christchurch where we believe that person was apprehended. —— images taken near a high school in christchurch. there are now pictures ofa christchurch. there are now pictures

of a person wearing military fatigues and someone who matches the description given by eyewitnesses at the mosque. we understand about one person is a white male who was wearing some kind of camouflage gear who is in police custody. however, so far, new zealand police say there may be other offenders and that is why for now their operation across the city is active and they are concerned if this person was heading anywhere near a school that there may be a risk to children. school is out why now, new zealand time, so potentially that risk is over but mosques across the country, notjust in christchurch, but across new zealand have been told to close their doors. people have been told not to go there, for fear of a copycat attack or a planned supplementary attack. difficult enough for parents in —— desperate to pick up their children who cannot because schools are in locked our

but this also happened to be a day with climate change rallies with many children out in the open spaces at rallies in christchurch and wellington. absolutely. and that would potentially put them at risk. it would also be more confusing for some parents who may not sure whether their child is at school or if they had joined the protest in the centre of the city. there would be many people anxious at the moment. the biggest concern will be amongst those who knew that they had friends or relatives visiting one of those two mosques in the centre of the city. that is an area still in locked down, the paramedics have been that and they have also been transferring dozens of people over to christchurch's hospital where all other operations and treatment have been counselled in order to cope with the sheer volume of injured people being brought in.|j with the sheer volume of injured people being brought in. i don't christchurch very well and for people who do not know, can you tell us more people who do not know, can you tell us more about the area? is it

contained or is there someone with a semiautomatic weapon ramming a large area of the city? it is a peaceful central area of the city near the botanic gardens and the two mosques so relatively close to each other, potentially within walking distance, certainly a short drive from one to the other. christchurch itself, as many people would know, has been through a traumatic decades since the earthquake but that has also change the make—up of the city. many people have moved out so the population is smaller. it may be quieter than would have been a few yea rs quieter than would have been a few years ago but was a city that is researching with more businesses opening up in the centre in the earthquake affected zone. so something like this will have just devastated people and really hit the hopes for the future of the city. jacinda ardern, the prime minister said that this is unprecedented and devastating, one of new zealand's

darkest days, so that gives you a sense of scale. this is notjust the local tragedy but something that is deeply affecting the whole nation. and obvious questions about the motive behind this, there has been this footage i know posted online which may or may not be footage from headcam worn by the government, it was too horrible we felt to go anywhere near transmitting, but also this manifesto, pretty much a kind of right wing, global, racist rants. yes, in linking notjust to events within new zealand across the world. one mention of anders breivik and the massacre which occurred in europe a few years ago. so if indeed this is the shooter, they would have been motivated by racial hate against muslims and talking about muslims needing to withdraw from new zealand and other predominantly christian countries. as he said, that footage has been shared online,

there is a suggestion, unverified at there is a suggestion, unverified at the moment, that part of the shooting may even have been streamed live using some kind of headcam or go pro camera. they cannot be verified at the moment and certainly, the images that have been shared are far too graphic and upsetting to be broadcast, but one suggestion is that this person came arms indeed with several guns, and that on those guns were messages written in white paint. now, it will be up to the police initially to verify whether this footage is genuine, whether it was part of the attack and whether the person they have apprehended is indeed the person linked to this footage. there are already names being suggested, but i think at this stage it is simply too early to say whether they

are credible and whether the person who is being named online is indeed the shooter or someone entirely unrelated. hywel, thank you very much indeed for that. obviously, this is a developing situation, to put it mildly and we will bring you an update on it as soon as we have more. i did speakjust a short time ago to a correspondence from tvnz. i should say at the moment, we are expecting to hear from the new zealand police, the commissioner mike bush, but first let's see what she had to say. the situation is still unfolding in more detail seems to be coming in by the minute, as he said, we have had reports now that one of the police, have one of the government in custody. we have had reports on the witness that he was seen being handcuffed and laying on the ground and that he was seen with a gun at the time of that arrest, however police have said that there are still believed to be a number of other offenders that they are looking for in the attack and that could mean at least one of the gunmen that they are looking for. do you have any updated figures than on the casualties? well, first reports that we have had from the al noor mosque, the first to be attacked was that there were reports of between five and six people who had been

killed and that attack left dozens and dozens more injured. then of course there was another attack at the linwood mosque and we have had witness reports that one gunmen were seen going into that mosque. he ran in with a gun, actively shooting at that point, and some of our witnesses have said that they believe they saw another five or six bodies lying on the mosque after that attack as well. christchurch hospital has also seen dozens of people still abiding by ambulance this afternoon with injuries from those attack. so absolutely no question there were at least two attacks? absolutely, yes. there were two attacks and then eyewitnesses told us that after that second attack at linwood avenue with the mosque there, that he saw gunmen get into a beige subaru legacy and that from there, we have had reports from police that they have found the same coloured subaru legacy, believed to be the same vehicle, with a bomb

inside, so that would indicate a third scene that is now under investigation. we have had unconfirmed reports of another incident at christchurch hospital, which is seen that area put into lockdown by police. when you say another incident christchurch hospital, that is clearly where most of the casualties are going because it is very close, but do you mean another shooting incident? well, the incident at the al noor mosque is only four or so minutes away from christchurch hospital. they are on opposing sides of the park, they are very close distance away from each other and we did have unconfirmed reports of some witnesses saying they heard shots at christchurch hospital. their arm police at the hospital now, the area is in lockdown in the hospital has activated its emergency crisis plan operates anna, what is your impression, you and your colleagues, about how well—prepa red impression, you and your colleagues, about how well—prepared the new zealand authorities were for an attack such as this? well, certainly i think this is taken everyone by

shock and surprise. certainly, new zealand, i think your impression be and certainly our impression be, citizens living in this country, that this is never something we expected to see. we looked on in horror seeing these attacks happen, it is just nothing that we ever thought we would see coming to new zealand's shores. the prime minister saying this afternoon that this is an unprecedented case of extreme violence, that people who come to new zealand and paid these mosques are new zealand and paid these mosques a re often new zealand and paid these mosques are often refugees, they are new new zealanders and they come here looking for a life of peace and tranquillity and to be under attack on such a beautiful sunshine, clear afternoon in christchurch, a lovely day today, a pleasant, warm, lovely city to get a mountain, to be under attack like this in such a developing situation, so much uncertainty, has scared people in the city. not knowing what has happened and what is going on and where this is going, it is very nerve racking for the people in christchurch and the wider country. and if anyone does not know the country well, can you tell us more about new zealand's gun laws? well,

we have reasonably strict gun laws, we have reasonably strict gun laws, we do not have a gun carrying culture in new zealand. you do need to be licensed to have particular weapons. we do not have an open carry gun culture like you see in other countries such as the united states. guns are used in rule areas for hunting and trapping, that sort of thing, but otherwise, you just wouldn't, certainly there is no open carry, you would not see anyone with a gun, certainly around here. there isa a gun, certainly around here. there is a video of this attack that has been released on the internet by, we believe, the gunmen, it is awful footage and i do not believe they would be anyone who would broadcast this or share this any further but it does show an incident that has taken quite a lot of planning and preparation to get around fairly strict gun laws in this country. anna, we havejust been speaking strict gun laws in this country. anna, we have just been speaking to somebody in christchurch locked in the office, no of course with the schools and lockdown, with lots of areas and lockdown, there will be people who can't get to their loved

ones, can't get to their families, there must be parents desperate to pick up their kids. well, this was a cross—country climate change rally day, with children across new zealand declaring they would protest climate change. they gathered in multiple public areas around the country in which children were protesting in public spaces. christchurch itself is in lockdown. the areas where that protest was being held has been cleared, other places such as the art gallery in christchurch are still in lockdown, and the police are telling us that they are asking all mosques in a new zealand shut the doors, to stay locked and to discourage people from coming to the mosque until the situation is resolved. and does new zealand have police ready to react at almost no notice? well, we do have an armed offender scott in new zealand. they are trained armed response squad and we have seen them

reacting to incidences in the past, certainly they would have been trained for response like this. there has never recently new zealand been an incident like this that they have had to respond to, we are a country of mountains and volcanoes and rivers and lakes, we have natural disasters and certainly christchurch is seen enough of that in recent memory, but certainly nothing like this and you can tell from the witnesses we spoke to today that nobody was prepared for an incident such as this. and just to recap for people who are trying to cap up, can you help with this? —— catch up. multiple police sites, police confirming a number of casualties, there could be a number of others involved. we have had witness reports of at least five people killed in each of those mosques and we believe that there may be other fatalities are bound

christchurch hospital, that we are not aware of or have been unable to confirm at this stage. certainly the reports of the injured are in the dozens reports of the injured are in the d oze ns of reports of the injured are in the dozens of people arriving in hospital from what we can see from the ambulances pulling into the hospital. police believe, they have given us an indication that there is at least another offender out there but a number of participants in this very organised, very calculated attack. anna burns francis there from tvnz, just update on what she was saying, we have had this unprecedented warning from the police nationwide for all mosques across new zealand to close their doors. and we should say that the suspect seems to have posted online, live stream the attack at the al noor mosque, the first mosque, from headcam footage and has also posted a basis manifesto online. the prime minister, you may havejust a basis manifesto online. the prime minister, you may have just heard her albert if he did not, saying it is clear this is one of new zealand's darkest days. —— but if he not. the migrants, mainly refugees, they have chosen to make their homes here, they asked, the people who

have carried out this attack, she said, not ours. they had no place in new zealand society. there will be more from us, there is more anytime in the bbc news website. thank you for watching. hello again. a quick look at what's happening in east africa's mozambique first of all. because here, cyclone idai is making landfall near mozambique's fourth biggest city. now, prior to landfall, the winds were gusting at 140 mph, so damaging gusts of wind working into this part of mozambique. we're highly likely to see some severe flooding. so the weather looks nasty over the next few days in mozambique. we may well hear some stories about that over the coming days. here in the uk, well, our windy, blustery spell of weather is set to continue. but obviously, nothing on that kind of scale. and if you're heading outside over the next few hours, there is the chance of some rain around. low pressure is in charge of our weather. and still we've got those reasonably tightly packed isobars over the uk today. so it is going to be another blustery kind of day.

outbreaks of rain across england and wales tending to trickle southwards. never really getting away from south—east england, where it could be a damp day. a similar picture too for southern parts of wales. further northwards, well, at least you get some sunshine, but here again there will be a number of blustery showers, northern ireland, northern england, and scotland. and it will feel quite cool in the wind, with those temperatures 5—7 degrees across northern areas. and the showers continue to feed in overnight. but at the same time, friday night sees a pulse of heavier rain working back northwards into northern ireland, and across england and wales. now we could see a bit of snow for a time over the high ground. and there is potential for multiple hazards around, really, as we start off the weekend. thanks to this developing nasty area of low pressure. what might catch your eye is the snow. well, we're going to see some of that over the higher ground of northern ireland, northern england, and scotland. could see around 10—20 centimetres above 350 metres elevation. but some snow could get down to lower levels for a time. it's going to be very wet across the hills of northern england and wales. over the high ground of wales,

we could see 100 millimetres of rain, bringing a risk of some localised flooding. and then there's the winds. winds could gust up to around 50 or 60 mph for southern wales, southern england, perhaps 70 mph in the most exposed locations. so all of these weather elements add up to the risk of some disruptive weather as we go through the first part of the weekend. now that system actually strengthens as it leaves the uk, so across eastern scotland could have some very strong winds for a time. and on sunday, north—westerly winds flowing in across the uk, bringing plenty of showers across northern and western areas. a few of those blowing in across more inland parts, across central and eastern england, central and eastern parts of scotland as well. the showers quite intense. could still have a wintry flavour to them over the high ground. and it will feel cool in the wind, with temperatures reaching a high, at best, of around ten. that's your weather.