'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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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
