He admitted to the murder of 51 people, the attempted murder of another 40 people who were injured, and one charge of terrorism. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the recipients of the bravery awards, including the two police officers who arrested the gunman, were “selfless and extraordinary.”īrenton Tarrant, a self-confessed white supremacist from Australia, is serving a life sentence for the shootings. In a statement, his widow, Ambreen Naeem, said the “award is not only for him but for every peace-loving person who stands against hate.”
Officials said his bravery, too, had saved lives. “On that time, I will be honest with you, I did not even think about any danger or anything.”Īnother worshipper, Naeem Rashid, who died in the shootings after confronting the gunman at the Al Noor mosque, has been posthumously honored with the New Zealand Cross. “If I did not do that, we would lose a lot of our brothers and sisters, including myself as well,” he said.
He told Radio New Zealand that he simply wanted to protect his fellow worshippers. He ignored the bodies of murdered worshippers and ran toward the attacker, chasing him with a rifle the gunman had discarded.Īziz has been awarded the New Zealand Cross for his courage. The former refugee from Afghanistan threw a credit card machine at the gunman after he had opened fire at the Linwood Islamic Center. A man from Afghanistan who chased away a gunman who murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019 has been given the country’s highest bravery award, the New Zealand Cross.Ībdul Aziz is among 10 people recognized for their courage during the March 2019 attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
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