New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attack
Three- and four-year-old among victims
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Your support makes all the difference.Two young children and a school pupil were among those who died after a gunman opened fire on people praying at mosques in New Zealand.
The attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch on Friday afternoon killed 50 people and left at least another 48 injured.
It is alleged Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, first walked into Al Noor mosque and randomly began shooting, killing 41 worshippers.
It is then alleged he then travelled to nearby Linwood mosque where he shot dead seven more.
As Mr Tarrant appeared in court on Saturday morning charged with murder, the names of the victims who were killed and many who are still missing or injured have emerged.
Known to have died:
Mucad Ibrahim, 3
Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim was with his father and brother at Al Noor mosque.
It is believed he tried to run away when the gunman entered the building, while his older brother Abdi fled for his life and his father pretended to be dead after he was shot.
His family searched in vain for Mucad at Christchurch hospital and later posted a photograph of him smiling with Abdi with the caption: “Verily we belong to God and to Him we shall return. Will miss you dearly brother.”
Abdi described his little brother as “energetic, playful and liked to smile and laugh a lot”, confessing he felt nothing but “hatred” for his killer.
On Saturday morning, a friend confirmed that Mucad had died the previous evening in his father’s arms.
He said: “Mucad Ibrahim sadly passed away in his father’s arms last night.
“RIP my little friend, you will be sorely missed by all. Such a beacon of light.”
Abdullahi Dirie, 4
Four-year-old Abdullahi Dirie was praying with his father, Adan Ibrahin Dirie, and four older siblings when he was killed.
His uncle, Abdulrahman Hashi, 60, a preacher at Dar Al Hijrah mosque, told The Washington Post he received a phone call on Friday from his brother-in-law, Abdullahi’s dad, who was in hospital with gunshot wounds.
The family resettled in New Zealand after fleeing Somalia as refugees in the mid-1990s.
Mr Hashi said: “You cannot imagine how I feel.
“He was the youngest in the family. This is a problem of extremism.
“Some people think the Muslims in their country are part of that, but these are innocent people.”
Sayyad Milne, 14
The year 10 pupil has been missing since he attended Al Noor mosque for prayers on Friday with his friends and mother Noraini, who managed to escape.
He has not been officially confirmed dead but his father, John Milne, said his young son was seen lying on the floor bleeding from his lower body.
Mr Milne said his son, who dreamed of being a footballer, was a “brave little soldier”.
Sayyad was also described as a good-natured, kind teenager.
The father told NZME media: “[I’m] keeping it together and tears are helping. People are helping. Just by being here, it is helping.”
The teenager has two other siblings, 15-year-old twins Shuayb and Cahaya.
Sayyad’s half-sister Brydie Henry told stuff.co.nz: “They’re all at home just waiting. They’re just waiting and they don’t know what to do.”
Naeem Rashid, 50, and son Tahla Rashid, 21
Naeem Rashid was hailed a hero after video footage of the attack appeared to show him attempting to wrestle the gun from the shooter at Al Noor mosque before he died.
His 21-year-old son Tahla was also shot and killed.
Mr Rashid was originally from Abbottabad, in Pakistan, where he worked for a private bank before moving to Christchurch to work as a teacher.
His son was 11 when his family moved to New Zealand. He had a new job and planned to get married.
Mr Rashid’s brother, Khurshid Alam, told the BBC: “He was a brave person, and I’ve heard from a few people there, there were few witnesses. They’ve said he saved a few lives there by trying to stop that guy.”
Another of his brothers, Dr Mohammad Khursheed, said Mr Rashid had already bought a plane ticket to Pakistan for a family reunion planned for May.
He added: “He was very brave. He snatched the gun and I think he saved many lives.”
Haji Daoud Nabi, 71
Haji Daoud Nabi, who ran the Afghan Association, moved to New Zealand from Afghanistan in 1979 to escape the Soviet-Afghan war.
His son, Omar Nabi, said his father died at the Al Noor mosque after leaping in front of another person in an attempt to save them from the gunman.
He said he remembered his father speaking about the importance of unity just days before the shooting.
Mr Nabi, who last saw his father at breakfast on the day he died, told Al-Jazeera: “My father said how important it is to spread love and unity among each other and protect every member of the society we live in.”
He added that his father helped refugees settle into a new country and “used to make them feel at home”.
Khaled Haj Mustafa and his son Hamza, 16
The Syrian refugee and his family are reported to have only moved to New Zealand a few months ago.
Khaled Haj Mustafa died at Al Noor mosque, where he had been praying with his 13- and 16-year-old sons, Syrian Solidarity New Zealand said.
His younger son is reported to be in hospital, while his 16-year-old son is still missing.
Junaid Mortara, 35
Junaid Mortara is believed to have died in the first mosque attack.
Javed Dadabhai said his 35-year-old cousin was the breadwinner of the family, supporting his mother, his wife and their three children, aged one to five.
Mr Mortara had inherited his father’s convenience store, which was covered in flowers on Saturday.
The father-of-three was an avid cricket fan, and would always send a sparring text with relatives over cricket matches when Canterbury faced Auckland.
Lilik Abdul Hamid
A Facebook appeal was issued for missing Lilik Abdul Hamid after the attack.
But an updated post later confirmed Indonesian-born Mr Abdul Hamid, who lived in Christchurch, had died.
Husne Ara Parvin, 42
Husne Ara Parvin, who was in the women’s section of Al Noor mosque, is said to have died after rushing to help her wheelchair-bound husband Farid Uddin Ahmed.
The couple’s nephew, Mahfuz Chowdhury, told Bangladesh newspaper BDnews24 his aunt died on the spot as she was on her way to the men’s section.
Mr Chowdhury said Mr Uddin Ahmed had been ill for years and Ms Parvin took him to the mosque every other Friday.
Her husband was helped to safety by others caught up in the attack.
The Bangladeshi couple are reported to have moved to New Zealand some time after 1994 and to have a daughter.
Ashraf Ali
Ashraf Ali, originally from Fiji, was a respected imam at Al Noor mosque.
Close friend Abdul Qayyum said he would always remember his “quiet” friend’s laugh.
Mr Qayyum, who met Mr Ali at school, said they had intended to go to a gathering in their home country in just a few weeks’ time.
He told Daily Mail Australia the friends used to pay a game called “last card”.
“Every time I saw him I called him ‘last card’ and when he saw me he called me ‘last card’,” he said.
Linda Armstrong, 65
Linda Armstrong died in the arms of a woman who had been shot in the arm and survived at Linwood mosque in the second attack, according to a friend.
The friend told The New Zealand Herald that Ms Armstrong, who sponsored a boy from Bangladesh, was kind and always took people into her home.
Missing and injured:
Syed Jahandad Ali, 34
Syed Jahandad Ali has been confirmed missing by the Pakistan Association of New Zealand.
His wife Amna last spoke to him at breakfast on Friday morning.
A work colleague told her they headed to Al Noor mosque at about 1pm on Friday but he has not been seen or heard from since.
Syed Areeb Ahmed
Mr Ahmed had recently moved from his house in Karachi, Pakistan, for a job in New Zealand to help support his family back home.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry informed his family that he was among those killed during the mosque attack.
One of his uncles, Muhammad Muzaffar Khan, described him as deeply religious, praying five times a day but said education was always his first priority.
“He had done charted accountancy from Pakistan,” he said. “He was the only son to his parents. He had only one younger sister. He had only started his career, but the enemies took his life.”
Family members, relatives, and friends have gathered at Mr Ahmed’s house to express their condolences. His body is expected to arrive there in coming days
Kamel Darwish, 39
Kamel Darwish’s brother, Zuhair Darwish, said the father of three had attended Al Noor mosque and had been missing since 1.30pm on Friday.
He can be heard in TV footage telling police officers at a cordon near the mosque that the hospital has refused to confirm any names or give information, according to The New Zealand Herald.
Farhaj Ahsan, 30
Indian politician Asaduddin Owaisi confirmed on Twitter that Farhaj Ahsan, whose parents live in Hyderabad, India, was reported missing.
The 30-year-old father of two left the Christchurch home he shares with his wife and three-year-old daughter and baby son on Friday.
The software engineer settled in Christchurch after studying at the University of Auckland.
Abdelfattah Qasem, 59
Abdelfattah Qasem, the former Muslim Association of Canterbury secretary, is currently listed as missing.
Initial reports suggested he was seen gravely injured.
Ash Mohammed’s father and two brothers
Thirty-two-year-old Ash Mohammed was at a police cordon near one of the mosques asking for information about his father and two brothers, who have not been answering their mobile phones.
He told an officer: “We just want to know if they are dead or alive.”
Mehaboobbhai Khokhur, 65
Mehaboobbhai Khokhur and his wife Akhtar, 58, had travelled from India to visit their son Imran for the first time since he moved to New Zealand eight years ago.
The electrical engineer’s son had dropped him off at Al Noor mosque and left to find a parking space when the shooting started.
He has not been seen or heard from since.
Ms Khokur, who was supposed to be flying home with her husband on Sunday, said: “I still don’t know where he is.”
Ansi Karippakulam Alibava, 25
Ansi Karippakulam Alibava, originally from India, is reported as being among the missing by New Zealand media.
Hussain Al-Umari, 36
Hussain Al-Umari’s parents Janna Ezat and Hazim Al-Umari fear their son is dead after last hearing from him on Thursday night.
The family immigrated to New Zealand from the United Arab Emirates in 1997.
Mr Al-Umari’s mother Ms Ezzat, an Iraqi calligraphy artist, wrote on Facebook that her son had become a Martyr.
She wrote: “Our son was full of life and always put the needs of others in front of his own.”
Mr Al-Umari is said to have worked in tourism until he lost his job recently.
Zakaria Bhuiyan
People gathered with pictures of Zakaria Bhuiyan on Sunday in the hope of finding out information about their friend who is still missing two days after the mosque shootings.
Osama Adnan, 37
Osama Adnan is of Egyptian origin. His colleague tweeted an appeal and said he hoped he would “show up soon” and make a “full recovery”.
Ali Elmadani, 66
Palestine-born Ali Elmadani’s wife Nuha Assad has not heard from him since he went to the Al Noor mosque to pray.
She told stuff.co.nz: “I asked people on the street if I could use their phone.
“I called my husband and he didn’t pick up, but I’m sure he didn’t want his phone at the mosque.”
Mr Elmadani’s daughter, Maha Elmadani, said her father always told his children to be strong and patient.
Mojammel Hoq, 30
A friend of Mojammel Hoq, originally from Bangladesh, said he was among the missing.
The 30-year-old has been in Christchurch for more than two years studying dentistry.
Mohammad Imran Kahn, 47
Mohammad Imran Kahn died at the Linwood mosque.
A friend said he owned two restaurants in Christchurch, including the Indian Grill.
The owner of the convenience shop next door, Jaiman Patel, 31, described Mr Kahn as “a really good guy”.
He said the two were business neighbours who helped each other out when needed, adding: “We are helping each other. It’s so sad.”
Haroon Mahmood, 40
Haroon Mahmood, who has just finished a PhD at Lincoln University, has not been heard from since he visited Al Noor mosque.
Amjad Hamid, 57
Heart doctor Amjad Hamid has not been seen since Friday and is believed by his family to be dead.
The Hawera Hospital doctor moved to New Zealand from Palestine with his wife Hanan 23 years ago because they wanted a better future.
She described him as a “very kind man”, while the couple’s eldest son, 22-year-old Husam Hamid, said: “At first I thought he went to the Linwood mosque but he was most likely to have been in the Al Noor mosque as he mostly goes to that one ... we are presuming that he is dead, but we don’t know.”
Arif Vohra, 58, and son Rameez, 28
Father and son Arif and Rameez Vohra went to Al Noor mosque to pray on Friday and have not been heard from since.
According to The Times of India, Mr Vohra and his wife Rukhsana had travelled to Christchurch to help their son Rameez and his wife with their newborn child.
The couple’s other son has flown to New Zealand from Australia to help in the search.
Ahmed Jehangir
Ahmed Jehangir was shot in the chest during the attack, according to Indian politician Asaduddin Owaisi.
His brother, Iqbal Jehangir, lives in Hyderabad, India, and is trying to find a way to fly to New Zealand on behalf of the family to visit him in hospital.
Wasseim Alsati and his daughter
Jordanian barber Wasseim Alsati and his daughter were critically injured in the attack.
Mohammed Elyan, in his sixties, and his son Atta, in his thirties
Jordanian Mohammed Elyan, who co-founded one of the mosques in 1993, was among those wounded.
His son Atta was also injured, according to Mr Mohammed’s brother Muath Elyan.
The death toll rose to 50 on 17 March after another victim was found as officials removed bodies from Al Noor mosque, where most of the victims were killed.
Christchurch hospital chief Greg Robertson said on Saturday that seven of the 48 gunshot victims admitted after the shootings had been discharged.
Mr Robertson said a four-year-old girl who had been transferred to an Auckland hospital was in a critical condition and 11 patients who remained in Christchurch were also critically wounded.
He said a two-year-old boy was in a stable condition, as was a 13-year-old boy.
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