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'Come here!': Heroic man fought off Christchurch gunman with EFTPOS machine


When the gunman advanced toward the mosque, killing those in his path, Abdul Aziz did not hide.

Instead, he picked up the first thing he could find, a credit card machine, and ran outside screaming: “Come here!”

Mr Aziz, 48, is being hailed as a hero for preventing more deaths during Friday prayers at the Linwood mosque in Christchurch after leading the gunman on a cat-and-mouse chase before scaring him into speeding away in his car.

But Mr Aziz, whose four sons and dozens of others remained in the mosque while he faced off with the gunman, said he thought it was what anyone would have done.

Abdul Aziz is being hailed a hero after he confronted the attacker. Source: AAP
Abdul Aziz is being hailed a hero after he confronted the attacker. Source: AAP

The gunman killed 50 people after attacking two mosques in the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s modern history.

The shooter is believed to have killed at least 41 people at the Al Noor mosque before driving about five kilometres across town and attacking the Linwood mosque, where he killed seven more people.

One person died later in a hospital and police announced on Sunday that a 50th body had been found.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with one count of murder in the slayings and a judge said on Saturday 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 was not for Mr Aziz.

Acting Imam Alabi said he heard a voice outside the mosque about 1.55pm (local time) and stopped the prayer he was leading and peeked out the window.

He saw a guy in black military-style gear and a helmet holding a large gun, and assumed it was a police officer.

Then he saw two bodies and heard the gunman yelling obscenities.

“I realised this is something else. This is a killer,” he said.

He yelled at the congregation of more than 80 to get down. They hesitated.

A member of the public places flowers at a makeshift memorial near the Linwood Mosque in Christchurch. Source: AAP
A member of the public places flowers at a makeshift memorial near the Linwood Mosque in Christchurch. Source: AAP

A shot rang out, a window shattered and a body fell, and people began to realise it was for real.

“Then this brother came over. He went after him, and he managed to overpower him, and that’s how we were saved,” Acting Imam Alabi said, referring to Mr Aziz.

“Otherwise, if he managed to come into the mosque, then we would all probably be gone.”

‘He got scared’

Mr Aziz said as he ran outside screaming, he was hoping to distract the attacker.

He said the gunman ran back to his car to get another gun and Mr Aziz hurled the credit card machine at him.

“His car door was open, he managed to get the other gun and he started shooting at me,” Mr Aziz said.

“And my two boys (aged 11 and 15) were near the door when they see him start shooting at me, [they said], ‘Dad, come back, come back.’

“I managed to duck between the cars and get away from his firing.”

A young girl seen laying down flowers to pay respect to the victims of the Christchurch mosques shooting. Source: AAP
A young girl seen laying down flowers to pay respect to the victims of the Christchurch mosques shooting. Source: AAP

Then Mr Aziz spotted a gun the gunman had abandoned and picked it up, pointed it and squeezed the trigger. It was empty.

He said the gunman ran back to the car for a second time, likely to grab yet another weapon.

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

The windshield shattered: “That’s why he got scared.”

‘Hero’ felt no fear

He said the gunman was cursing at him, yelling he was going to kill them all.

But he drove away and Mr Aziz said he chased the car down the street to a red light before it made a U-turn and sped away.

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

Abdul Aziz confronted the Christchurch mosque attacker. Source: AAP
Abdul Aziz confronted the Christchurch mosque attacker. Source: AAP

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

“I’ve been to a lot of countries and this is one of the beautiful ones,” he said.

And, he always thought, a peaceful one as well.

Mr Aziz said he did not feel fear or much of anything when facing the gunman.

He said it was like he was on autopilot. And he believes that God, that Allah, did not think it was his time to die.

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Mourners comfort each other at an improvised memorial in Christchurch. Source: AAP
Mourners comfort each other at an improvised memorial in Christchurch. Source: AAP