Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have all said their citizens were affected in the attack. Some names have begun to emerge , including a three-year-old boy who was at Al Noor mosque with his father and older brother.

The attack, launched during Friday prayers when both mosques were packed, was livestreamed via a camera strapped to the perpetrator. Horrific images of bloodshed and people desperately trying to evade the gunman were copied and shared on social media sites including YouTube. Facebook has said it removed 1.5m videos of the attack in the first 24 hours.