'A Vicious Act Of Hate': 49 Dead In New Zealand Mosque Shootings

A 29-year-old Australian man has been charged with murder in connection with the killing of 49 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday, according to The New York Times. 

What Happened 

During Friday prayer time, the shooter allegedly opened fire at Al Noor Mosque at 1:40 p.m., killing 41, before attacking the Linwood Mosque a few miles away, killing seven, the NYT report said. 

The shooter appears to have posted a live feed video of the shooting at Al Noor Mosque on Facebook.com, Inc. FB. 

The video appears to have been shot by a helmet-mounted camera worn by the shooter. After shooting people in the mosque, the gunman exited, retrieved a second gun from his parked car, returned to the mosque and continued the shooting spree, according to NYT. 

The gunman appeared to have posted a white nationalist manifesto on the websites Twitter Inc TWTR and 8chan and proclaimed himself a fascist.

What’s Next?

One person taken to the hospital following the attack also died from their injuries, according to NYT. A number of firearms have been recovered as well as two improvised explosive devices on a vehicle.

New Zealand police have three people in custody, including the accused shooter, but have not identified the suspects at this time.

Christchurch Hospital was treating 48 people for gunshot wounds, and all mosques across New Zealand have been asked to close their doors. Public funds have been set up to support efforts by the community and police.

Western leaders Donald Trump and Angela Merkel expressed solidarity with New Zealand; White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the killings a "vicious act of hate."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern described the event as "one of New Zealand's darkest days."

“Many of those impacted by the shootings are migrants who chose to make New Zealand their home. They are us. The person who perpetrated this violence is not.”

Some Muslim countries went further Friday, blaming politicians and the media for stoking the hate that fueled the attack, according to Reuters.

While tech companies have promised stronger scrutiny of social media postings, the safeguards were not enough to stop the live video of the New Zealand shootings and the posting of the shooter's manifesto. 

While Facebook has reported a 99-percent success rate for stopping terrorist postings from Al Qaeda and the Islamic State with artificial intelligence, in certain cases terrorist groups have succeeded in circumventing these efforts, according to NYT. 

Al Noor Mosque photo via Google Maps.