'Hello, brother': Muslim worshipper's 'last words' to gunman
A Muslim worshipper, who was among the first people to be killed in New Zealand's worst ever mass shooting, appeared to say "Hello, brother" to the attacker just moments before he was shot dead.
According to a live stream video of the attack, the man, who is yet to be identified, could be overheard saying "Hello, brother" as the gunman approached the entrance of the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch.
At least 49 people, including children, were killed in Friday's attacks targeting the Al Noor and Linwood mosques. Police said on Saturday morning that 42 people were being treated for wounds following the "terrorist" attack. Two of them, including a four-year-old child, were in critical condition.
Video footage of the assault, which has been widely shared on social media, showed a gunman shooting indiscriminately at worshippers as they ran for safety or lay huddled on the floor.
A 28-year-old Australian man, who police have not identified, has been charged with murder. He is set to appear in court on Saturday.
'The reply was three bullets'
As the attack shocked New Zealand, a nation where violent crime is rare, several social media users hailed the Muslim man who greeted the attacker before he was murdered.
"'Hello, Brother' were the last words of the first New Zealand victim. As he faced a rifle, his last words were peaceful words of unconditional love. DO NOT tell me that nonviolence is weak or pacifism is cowardice," one Twitter user said.
"'Hello brother' a word came out of a pure soul filled with a peaceful faith. 'Hello brother' was said to a killer with a rifle pointed to this greeting. 'Hello brother' he said thinking that he is talking to a human with soul and feelings. 'Hello brother' was shot dead," another wrote.
"Hello brother and the reply was three bullets - Bi-ayyi thanbin qutilat (For what crime. She was killed) [Quran: 81, v9]," said another.
Aziz Helou, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, wrote on Facebook that "amongst the chaos of today, the evil we both heard and saw", that one incident stood out.
"The first Muslim man to die, his final words were 'hello brother'. These words were uttered by a man who symbolised Islam. He had a rifle pointed at him by a man with clear intentions to kill and how did he respond? With anger? With aggression? No, with the most gentle and sincere greeting of 'hello brother'.
"Perhaps this hero was trying to defuse the situation? Maybe Allah used this man to show the world the kindness that is Islam. I don't know but what I want, is to make certain, is that this detail isn't lost amongst you. That this mans final act was an Islamic one, a sincere courageous and warm way to stop violence instead of fuelling it".
Attack blamed on rising Islamophobia
In a social media video, former New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams gave a tearful tribute to those killed.
Williams, a practising Muslim, struggled to hold back tears in the 64-second Twitter post, telling families of those killed that "you are all in Paradise".
"I heard the news. I couldn't put it into words how I'm feeling right now," Williams said.
"Just sending my duas (prayers) to the families".
Before the attacks took place, the gunman reportedly published an Islamophobic manifesto on Twitter. He then live-streamed his rampage, according to an analysis by the AFP news agency.
Political leaders across the world condemned the killings, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing them as "the latest example of rising racism and Islamophobia".
The first victim of the terrorist attack in New Zealand is shown on the video greeting the gunman with “Hello Brother.”
— batoolmajedalfa (@batoolmajedalfa) March 15, 2019
Those were his last words.
Love in the face of hate. #El_terrorismo_no_tiene_religión #NewZealandTerroristAttack #حادث_نيوزيلاندا_الإرهابي pic.twitter.com/MFuXbYetym
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also blamed the attacks on rising Islamophobia.
"I blame these increasing terror attacks on the current Islamophobia post-9/11 where Islam and 1.3 billion Muslims have collectively been blamed for any act of terror by a Muslim," said Khan.
"This has been done deliberately to also demonise legitimate Muslim political struggles."
courtesy : www.aljazeera.com
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
