First victim of Christchurch massacre identified as death toll stands at 49

The first victim of the horrific Christchurch massacre has been identified as 71-year-old Afghan man Daoud Nabi.

Mr Nabi’s heartbroken son spoke outside court as accused shooter Brenton Tarrant made his first appearance.

Omar Nabi said his father was “highly respected” in the community and was one of the founders of the local Islamic association in Christchurch.

“He had an engineering background, he toured and stopped in New Zealand after Australia,” Mr Nabi told the Weekend Sunrise.

“He inherited a lot of knowledge internationally and wanted to pass it on to people,” he said, adding that his father “lived a pure life”.

Mr Nabi said he was meant to attend the mosque with his dad, but was unable to go because of work.

When asked if he could ever forgive in his situation, Mr Nabi responded: “I’m not sure if I can forgive but if I don’t, I cannot actually live life and be happy.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday the victims were from across the Muslim world, with Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia among the countries rendering consular assistance.

A Saudi citizen was killed and another wounded, according to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television news channel.

At least two Jordanians were among the dead, according to that country’s foreign minister.

While Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Faisal said five citizens of his country were missing.

Children as young as two injured in shootings

A two-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl are among the youngest victims of Friday’s attack, with both recovering in hospitals in Christchurch and Auckland.

Greg Robertson, the surgeon leading the emergency response to the attack, said the young girl had been transferred to the Starship Hospital in Auckland in a critical condition.

The two-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy are both in stable conditions in Christchurch Hospital.

“Four patients died on their way into the hospital yesterday, dying before they arrived,” Mr Robertson told the media.

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“Those injured ranged in ages from the very young to quite elderly patients.

“As you would expect, the wounds from gunshots are often quite significant.

“We have had patients with injuries to most parts of the body that range from relatively superficial soft tissue injuries to more complex injuries involving the chest, the abdomen, the pelvis, the long bones and the head.

“Many of the people will require multiple trips to theatre to deal with the complex series of injuries that they have.”

Twelve operating theatres worked through the night providing care to patients.

Mr Robertson said seven patients admitted to hospital yesterday had since been discharged.

Accused shooter appears in court

Australian-born 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant appeared in the dock wearing handcuffs and a white prison shirt, sitting impassively as the judge read a single murder charge against him.

A raft of further charges are expected.

The former fitness instructor and self-professed fascist occasionally turned to look at media present in court during the brief hearing that was held behind closed doors for security reasons.

He did not request bail and was taken into custody until his next court appearance scheduled for April 5.

Forty-two people are still being treated in hospital for injuries, including a four-year-old child, after an attack thought to be the deadliest directed against Muslims in the West in modern times.

Alleged offender had gun licence

Ms Ardern described the spree killing as a terrorist attack and said the shooter – who was not on any watchlist and did not have a criminal record – had legally purchased the two semi-automatic weapons, two shotguns and lever-action gun he used.

“The offender was in possession of a gun licence” obtained in November 2017, and he started purchasing the weapons the following month, she said.

“While work is being done as to the chain of events that led to both the holding of this gun licence, and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now – our gun laws will change,” she vowed.

The suspect documented his radicalisation and two years of preparations in a lengthy, meandering and conspiracy filled far-right “manifesto”.

He live-streamed footage of himself going room-to-room, victim-to-victim, shooting the wounded from close range as they struggled to crawl away in the main Christchurch mosque.

Two other people remain in custody, although their link to the attack is unknown.

A third person who was earlier arrested was said to be a member of the public with a firearm who was trying to help.

Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in a car and neutralised by the military, while police raided a home in Dunedin, where Ms Ardern said the suspect was based.

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