New Zealand mosque shooting: What we know about the victims
An attack on a New Zealand mosque took the lives of 50 worshippers Friday and left dozens more wounded when a white supremacist opened fire and live-streamed the shootings.
Local police have yet to publicly identify the victims, but a number of those killed or injured have been identified by their families in interviews with media outlets around the world.
THE DEAD
HUSNA AHMED
Farid Ahmed refuses to turn his back on his adopted home, despite losing his 45-year-old wife, Husna Ahmed, in the Al Noor mosque attack. They had split up to go to the bathroom when it happened.
The gunman livestreamed the massacre on the internet, and Ahmed later saw a video of his wife being shot. A police officer confirmed she died.
Despite the horror, Ahmed - originally from Bangladesh - still considers New Zealand a great country.
"I believe that some people, purposely, they are trying to break down the harmony we have in New Zealand with the diversity," he said. "But they are not going to win. They are not going to win. We will be harmonious."
SYED AREEB AHMED, 26
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 Ahmed 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 education was always his first priority, Khan said.
Ahmed was an only son who had immigrated to New Zealand for work, his uncle said.
"Education had always remained his first priority," Khan said. "He had gone to New Zealand recently where he got his job. He had only started his career, but the enemies took his life"
Family members, relatives, and friends have gathered at Ahmed's house to express their condolences. His body is expected to arrive there in the coming days.
FARHAJ AHSAN, 30
The software engineer moved to New Zealand six years ago from the city of Hyderabad in India, where his parents still live, according to the Mumbai Mirror.
"We received the disturbing news," Ahsan's father, Mohammed Sayeeduddin told the newspaper Saturday. Friends and family had been trying to reach Ahsan since the attack.
Ahsan was married and had a 3-year-old daughter and infant son.
ABDULLAHI DIRIE, 4
Four of Adan Ibrahin Dirie's five children managed to escape Friday's attacks, but the youngest, Abdullahi, was killed, his uncle, Abdulrahman Hashi, 60, a preacher at Dar Al Hijrah Mosque in Minneapolis, told the New Zealand Herald.
Dirie also suffered gunshot wounds and was hospitalized. The family fled Somalia in the mid-1990s as refugees and resettled in New Zealand.
"You cannot imagine how I feel," Hashi said.
He added: "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."
ALI ELMADANI
Elmadani and his wife immigrated from the United Arab Emirates in 1998. The retired Christchurch engineer always told his children to be strong and patient, so that's what they are trying to do after the tragedy, his daughter, Maha Elmadani, told Stuff.
"He considered New Zealand home and never thought something like this would happen here," she said.
She said her mother "is staying as strong as possible. My younger brother isn't doing too well with the news."
ATTA ELYAN
Atta Elyan, who was in his 30s, died of his wounds from the shooting, Muath Elyan, his uncle, told The Associated Press.
His father, Mohammed Elyan, a Jordanian in his 60s who co-founded one of the mosques in 1993, was among those wounded, said Muath Elyan, Mohammed's brother, who said he spoke to Mohammed's wife after the shooting.
Muath said his brother helped establish the mosque a year after arriving in New Zealand, where he teaches engineering at a university and runs a consultancy. He said his brother last visited Jordan two years ago.
"He used to tell us life was good in New Zealand and its people are good and welcoming. He enjoyed freedom there and never complained about anything," Muath told the AP. "I'm sure this bloody crime doesn't represent the New Zealanders."
LILIK ABDUL HAMID
The longtime aircraft maintenance engineer at Air New Zealand was killed in the Al Noor mosque when he was killed, his employer said in a statement.
"Lilik has been a valued part of our engineering team in Christchurch for 16 years, but he first got to know the team even earlier when he worked with our aircraft engineers in a previous role overseas," Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon said. "The friendships he made at that time led him to apply for a role in Air New Zealand and make the move to Christchurch. His loss will be deeply felt by the team.
Hamid was married and had two children, Luxon said.
"Lilik, his wife Nina and their children Zhania and Gerin are well known and loved by our close-knit team of engineers and their families, who are now doing all they can to support the family alongside our leadership team and the airline's special assistance team," he said.
At just 3 years old, Mucaad Ibrahim is the youngest known victim of the attacks. He was separated from his older brother Abdi and their father when the shooting began at the Al Noor mosque.
After an agonizing search by the family, Abdi said police finally confirmed that the toddler had been killed.
Mucaad was born and raised in Christchurch. He was beloved by the community, known for his energetic demeanor and easy laugh. He was bright and bubbly, and loved playing with an iPad.
Ahmed Osman, a close family friend, said Mucaad used to cheer from the sidelines as Osman and Abdi played soccer on Friday evenings at a park near the mosque. The little boy had planned to watch them play soccer as usual on Friday. He never made it.
Osman said the support of the community has helped the family pull through.
"New Zealand is always behind us," he said. "Even when we walk down the street, people stop us and say, 'Are you guys OK?' That's what New Zealand is about. It's all about coming together. One person cannot stop us."
MOHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN
A handwritten cardboard sign outside Mohammad Imran Khan's restaurant, the Indian Grill in Christchurch, on Sunday said simply CLOSED. A handful of pink flowers laid nearby.
The owner of the convenience store next door, JB's Discounter, Jaiman Patel, 31, said he helped the staff with the keys after the terrorist attack that claimed Khan's life.
"He's a really good guy. I tried to help him out with the setup and everything," Patel said. "We also put the key out for them when the terrorists come, and sorted it out for him."
Khan had a son who was 10 or 11, Patel said.
The two were business neighbors who helped each other out when needed, he said.
"We are helping each other. It's so sad."
SAYYAD MILNE, 14
Milne was described as a good-natured, kind teenager. The high school student was at the Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers when the attack started, his half-sister, Brydie Henry, told the Stuff media outlet.
Sayyad was last seen "lying on the floor of the bloody mosque, bleeding from his lower body," she said her father told her.
Sayyad's mother, Noraini, was also in the mosque and managed to escape, Henry said. The teenager has two other siblings, 15-year-old twins Shuayb and Cahaya.
"They're all at home just waiting. They're just waiting and they don't know what to do," Henry told the news site.
JUNAID MORTARA, 35
Javed Dadabhai is mourning for his gentle cousin, 35-year-old Junaid Mortara, believed to have died in the first mosque attack.
His cousin was the breadwinner of the family, supporting his mother, his wife and their three children, ages 1 to 5. Mortara had inherited his father's convenience store, which was covered in flowers on Saturday.
Mortara was an avid cricket fan, and would always send a sparring text with relatives over cricket matches when Canterbury faced Auckland.
HAJI DAOUD NABI, 71
Nabi moved his family to New Zealand in 1979 to escape the Soviet-Afghan war. Days before the shootings, his son, Omar, recalled his father speaking about the importance of unity.
"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," Omar told Al-Jazeera.
Omar told the news network his father ran an Afghan Association and helped refugees settle in to a new country.
"He used to make them feel at home," Omar said.
HUSNE ARA PARVIN, 42
Parvin died being struck by bullets while trying to shield her wheelchair-bound husband, Farid Uddin Ahmed, her nephew Mahfuz Chowdhury told The Daily Star , a Bangladesh newspaper.
Chowdhury said Uddin had been ill for years and Parvin took him to the mosque every other Friday. She had taken him to the mosque for men while she went to the one for women. Mahfuz said relatives in New Zealand told him when the shootings began, Parvin rushed to her husband's mosque to protect him. He survived.
The Bangladeshi couple had moved to New Zealand sometime after 1994, Chowdhury said.
NAEEM RASHID, 50, and TALHA RASHID, 21
As the shootings unfolded, Naeem Rashid is seen on video trying to tackle the gunman, according to Rashid's brother, Khurshid Alam.
"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," Alam told the BBC .
Rashid's son, Talha Rashid, is also among the dead. Pakistan's Ministry of Public Affairs confirmed their deaths in a tweet .
The elder Rashid was a teacher in Christchurch and was from Abbottabad, Pakistan. His son was 11 when his family moved to New Zealand. He had a new job and planned to get married.
HUSSEIN AL-UMARI
An Iraqi who born in Abu Dhabi was killed in the attack on two mosques in New Zealand.
His mother wrote on social media that Hussein al-Umari was killed.
His family and friends had been seeking information on al-Umari, in his mid-30s, who had failed to return after going to Friday prayers at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch.
His mother, an Iraqi calligraphy artist named Janna Ezzat, wrote on Facebook that her son had become a martyr.
Ezzat wrote: "Our son was full of life and always put the needs of others in front of his own."
INDIAN CITIZENS KILLED
India's ambassador to New Zealand issued the following names of Indian citizens who were killed in the mosque attacks:
- Maheboob Khokhar
- Ramiz Vora
- Asif Vora
- Ansi Alibava
- Ozair Kadir
Indian news reports said Alibava, 25, had moved to New Zealand last year after marrying Abdul Nazar.
The Indian Express newspaper said she was studying agriculture technology at Lincoln University and her husband worked at a supermarket in Christchurch. They got married in 2017.
The Manorama Online news site said her mother, Rasia, had prayed for the safety of the two when the news broke of the attacks.
Alibava used to call her family back in India every day, but they were worried when there was no call after the shootings. They later found out from the husband what had happened.
The report said she was hoping to find a job in New Zealand to support her family back home.
MORE PAKISTANI VICTIMS IDENTIFIED
Pakistan's foreign ministry confirmed nine Pakistanis were killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks. They have been identified as follow:
Zeeshan Raza, his father Ghulam Hussain and mother Karam Bibi, Sohail Shahid, Syed Jahandad Ali, Syed Areeb Ahmed, Mahboob Haroon, Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem.
Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem, 22, died after trying to disarm the shooter.
Rashid's brother Dr. Mohammad Khursheed, who lives in Pakistan's garrison city of Abbottabad, received an emotional call from his sister-in-law telling him of his brother's death. He died along with his son Talha Naeem .
Khursheed said his brother had already bought his plane ticket to Pakistan for a May family reunion. "He was very brave. He snatched the gun and I think he saved many lives," Khursheed said.
Rashid had migrated to New Zealand in 2009. He was teacher here and same profession he had adopted there and so his wife.
Rashid's 75-year-old mother Bedar Bibi was devastated and wanted to fly to New Zealand for a last look at her son and grandson. "I want the New Zealand government should take me there so I can have one last look of my beloved son and my grandson Talha," she said.
The foreign ministry provided more information about other citizens who died in the attacks:
- Sohail Shahid, son of Muhammad Shabbir, age 40
- Syed Jahanand Ali, age 34
- Mahboob Haroon, son of Shahid Mehboob, resident of Rawalpindi, age 40
ABC Owned Television Stations contributed to this report.
