Dozens killed in shootings targeting New Zealand mosques
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New Zealand was put on “high” security alert on Friday after 49 people were killed in a terrorist attack targeting two mosques in Christchurch. Forty-eight people were wounded in the shootings, carried out during Friday prayers. Police said that a man in his late 20s had been charged with murder, and that two other people were in custody. A number of explosive devices were found attached to vehicles and defused. An Australian man claiming responsibility for the attack posted a manifesto and a 17-minute video online apparently showing live footage of the rampage. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the shootings as “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence” and placed the country on high security alert. World leaders joined Ardern in condemning the attack, expressing their condolences to the victims and their families.