On 15 March, a gunman opened fire in two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch, killing at least 49 people. An Indian-origin survivor narrated how an unidentified man helped avoid a much bigger tragedy, as per NDTV.
Faisal Sayed told NDTV:
“We were in a small mosque - measuring about a hundred square metres - and when you have a gunman coming in and opening fire in such circumstances, your heart beats faster and you can’t feel anything.”
Sayed has been living in New Zealand for more than 10 years.
He said that he and his friend witnessed a "gentleman creep up behind" the gunman and held him until he dropped his gun.
"If that hadn't happened, many more would have died and I wouldn't be here now. Hats off to that man; I will definitely try and look him up," he added.
The shooter rushed for the door as a result of the man's action, Sayed said.
One of Sayed's friends died and another is hospitalised. He said, as per NDTV, "I can't speak for anybody else, but I have been in this beautiful country for the last 10 years and I don't see my loved ones, my family or even my community facing any challenges. I will never be the one to pass judgement based on a single incident."
The attacks took place at the Al Noor Mosque in central Christchurch and the Linwood Mosque in the city’s suburb, seen as one of the worst attacks on Muslims in that country.
Observing that according to unofficial reports nine Indians are missing since the attack, a source said that "due to certain processes involved, official confirmation about Indian casualties may take a while to come in".
(With inputs from PTI, NDTV)
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