New Zealand Police have officially released the first names of the 50 people killed in last week’s shootings at two New Zealand mosques.
Police said the five people they have named were all male and died at the Al Noor mosque.
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Here are the names that have been released:
- Hati Mohemmed Doud Nabi, 71, of New Zealand.
- Mohsen Mohammed Al Harbi, 63, of New Zealand.
- Kamel Moh’d Kamal Kamel Darwish, 38, of Jordan.
- Junaid Ismail, 36, of New Zealand.
- Mucaad Ibrahim, 3, of New Zealand.
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New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said police have now formally identified and released the bodies of 21 people to family members.
He said they hope to finish formally identifying most victims by the end of the day although some will take longer.
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Those aren’t the only victims’ names that have emerged publicly, however.
The first two people to be buried after last week’s mosque attacks have been identified as a father and son.
Khalid Mustafa was 44 and Hamza Mustafa was 15.
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The teen was a student at Cashmere High School and was compassionate and hard-working, according to the principal Mark Wilson.
Hamza was an excellent horse rider who aspired to be a veterinarian, Wilson says.
Hamza’s younger brother Zaed, 13, suffered gunshot wounds to the leg in the attack.
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Mourners on Wednesday carried the bodies to a freshly dug gravesite, where hundreds gathered around to watch. Some were invited to scoop handfuls of dirt on top of the bodies.
Authorities spent four days constructing a special grave at a city cemetery that is designated for Muslim burials.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week visited a school where two boys killed in last week’s mosque attacks were students.
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In a speech at Cashmere High School, Ardern renewed her call for people to focus on the victims rather than the perpetrator.
She said there will be interest in the terrorist but asked the students not to say his name or dwell on him.
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The Cashmere High students killed were Mustafa, as well as 14-year-old Sayyad Milne.
A third Cashmere student, Mustafa’s 13-year-old brother Zaed, is recovering from gunshot wounds to his leg.
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