A father has been hailed a hero for preventing more deaths by chasing the Christchurch gunman away from a mosque where he had already killed seven people.

Abdul Aziz was praying at Linwood mosque in the quiet New Zealand city on Friday with his four sons when he heard gunshots outside.

The 48-year-old told his children to stay inside as he picked up a credit card machine – the first thing he could find – and ran out of the building screaming “come here” at the gunman in a bid to distract him.

Mr Aziz said he could hear his two youngest sons pleading with him to come back inside as he hurled the machine at the attacker who had returned to his car to get another gun.

The gunman began shooting at Mr Aziz, but he managed to dodge between cars parked outside the mosque.

New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Show all 11 1 /11 New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Zakaria Bhuiyan People gather hoping to find out information about Zakaria Bhuiyan who is still missing after the mosques shootings in Christchurch. David Moir/AFP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Mucad Ibrahim Three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim, the youngest known victim of the mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. Abdi Ibrahim via AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Nadeem Rasheed Nadeem Rasheed, brother of Pakistani Naeem Rashid who died alongside his son Talha Naeem, 21, who were killed in shooting at a Mosque in Christchurch, at their home town in Abbottabad, EPA New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Omar Nabi Omar Nabi speaks to the media about losing his father Haji Daoud Nabi, 71, in the mosque attack REUTERS New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Ash Mohammed Ash Mohammed, right, talks to a police officer about his father and two brothers who are missing near the Masjid Al Noor mosque AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Akhtar Khokhur Akhtar Khokhur, 58, shows a picture of her missing husband Mehaboobbhai Khokhar, 65. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Wasseim Alsati A note is seen on a window of a door at the family home of Wasseim Alsati in Christchurch on 17 March 2019. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Haroon Mahmood Relatives offer condolences to nephew (centre) of Haroon Mahmood, a Pakistani citizen who was killed in Christchurch mosque shootings. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Farid Ahmed Farid Ahmed (pictured) survived the Al Noor mosque shootings but his wife Husne was killed. AFP/Getty Images New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Syed Areeb Ahmed A relative shows a picture of Syed Areeb Ahmed, a Pakistani citizen who was killed the Christchurch mosque shooting. AP New Zealand shootings: Victims of Christchurch mosque terror attacks Naeem Rashid A relative looks at a picture on a mobile phone of Pakistani nationals Naeem Rashid and his son Talha Naeem (right) who died in the Christchurch shootings. AFP/Getty Images

Mr Aziz said it was at this moment he spotted a gun abandoned by the attacker, who had once again run back to his car.

He said he picked up the weapon and pulled the trigger and, after finding it empty, smashed it through the gunman’s car window.

“He gets into his car and I just got the gun and threw it on his window like an arrow and blasted his window,” said Mr Aziz.

“The windshield shattered; that’s why he got scared.”

The father said the 28-year-old shouted that he would kill them all but quickly drove off.

He said he chased the car down the street to a red light, before it performed a U-turn and sped away.

Online videos suggest police officers managed to force the car from the road and drag the suspect out soon afterwards.

Mr Aziz said he believed anyone would have done what he did if they were in his shoes.

Originally from Kabul, Afghanistan, Mr Aziz said he left as a refugee when he was a child and lived for more than 25 years in Australia before moving to New Zealand a couple of years ago.

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“I’ve been to a lot of countries and this is one of the beautiful ones,” he said, adding that he had always thought New Zealand was peaceful.

The gunman is believed to have killed 41 people at the Al Noor mosque before driving about three miles across town and attacking the Linwood mosque, where he killed seven more people. One person died later in a hospital.

Among the victims were three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim, 14-year-old Sayyad Milne and a four-year-old child.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with one count of murder and a judge said Saturday that it was reasonable to assume more charges would follow.

Latef Alabi, the Linwood mosque’s acting imam, said the death toll would have been far higher at the Linwood mosque if it wasn’t for Mr Aziz’s actions.

“He went after him, and he managed to overpower him, and that’s how we were saved,” he said.