Mar 16, 2019

One man ran at mosque gunman

Mourners build makeshift memorial near Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch. (Vincent Yu/A)

When the gunman advanced toward the New Zealand mosque, "killing those in his path, Abdul Aziz didn't hide. Instead, he picked up the first thing he could find, a credit card machine, and ran outside screaming: 'Come here!'"

Details: "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 in a cat-and-mouse chase before scaring him into speeding away in his car," AP's Nick Perry writes.

Latef Alabi, the Linwood mosque’s acting imam, "said he heard a voice outside the mosque at about 1:55 p.m. 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."
  • "He yelled at the congregation of more than 80 to get down. They hesitated. A shot rang out, a window shattered and a body fell."

"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 Aziz hurled the credit card machine at him."

  • "The gunman returned, firing. Aziz said he ran, weaving through cars parked in the driveway, preventing the gunman from getting a clean shot at him."

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