Pakistani father, son martyred in bid to stop Christchurch mosque shooting

CHRISTCHURCH: A Pakistani man, who attempted to prevent the  Australian terrorist from entering the Al Noor Mosque at Christchurch in New Zealand, has succumbed to his wounds.

Rashid, who was injured in his bid to overpower the attacker, breathed his last late Friday night. He hailed from Abbottabad.

Rashid's son, Talha Naeem, was among those who were murdered in the Al Noor Mosque mass shooting.

The foreign office, earlier on Friday, said  that four Pakistani nationals had been injured in the terrorist attack on two Mosques in New Zealand, adding that five other Pakistani nationals were missing following the shootings.

The brutal attacks on two Christchurch mosques left at least 49 Muslim worshippers dead Friday.

A right-wing extremist who filmed himself rampaging through two mosques in the quiet New Zealand city of Christchurch killing 49 worshippers appeared in court on a murder charge Saturday.

Dozens of  people are still being treated in hospital for injuries, including a four year old child, after an attack thought to be the deadliest directed against Muslims in the West in modern times.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Saturday the victims were from across the Muslim world, with Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia among the countries rendering consular assistance.

One Saudi citizen was killed and another wounded, according to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television news channel.

At least two Jordanians were among the dead, according to that country´s foreign minister.

Ardern described the spree killing as a terrorist attack and said the shooter -- who was not on any watchlist and did not have a criminal record -- had legally purchased the two semi-automatic weapons, two shotguns and lever-action gun he used.

"The offender was in possession of a gun licence" obtained in November 2017, and he started purchasing the weapons the following month, she said.