One or more gunmen attacked two mosques in Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand’s South Island, killing 49 people during Friday prayers. Three people are in custody and one man has been charged with murder. Police also say they have found explosive devices.





About 1.30pm local time, Al Noor mosque

The first and most deadly incident occurred during Friday prayers at a mosque to the east of the city centre. A video made by the gunman, which was shared on social media and news sites, shows him pulling up in a car in an alley beside the mosque, taking a gun and walking through the main gates and front door. Reports say he returned to the car to re-arm during the attack, which lasted about 15 minutes. At least 41 people were killed of the 300 who were estimated to have been at prayer. More were injured and taken to the nearby city hospital. The Bangladeshi cricket team took refuge in Hagley Oval cricket ground in the park across the road from the mosque.





Shortly after 2pm, Linwood mosque



Across the city, on the western side, about four miles (6km) away, seven more people were shot dead in an attack on a smaller local mosque. There were about 60 or 70 people in the building. Witnesses said one of the worshippers seized the gunman’s weapon and attempted to turn it on him. The attacker fled.





Late afternoon



Police arrested four people, one of whom they later released. They charged one man in his 20s, believed to be a 28-year-old Australian named Brenton Tarrant. Witnesses tweeted pictures of armed police arresting a man in a car to the south of the city; police said they had found explosive devices in a car and contained them.

Schools in the city were initially locked down, and police carried out a controlled detonation of unattended bags near an Auckland railway station.

As the investigation continued, police said they had evacuated houses in Dunedin, a smaller town 224 miles (360km) south of Christchurch.

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