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Four mosque shooting victims to be buried tonight

March 20, 2019 5:03 pm

Mourners carry a body to the grave site at Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch. [Source: NZ Herald-Michael Craig]

This evening four more victims will be buried after a funeral for the first two was held earlier today.

One of those has name suppression.

The others are Junaid Ismail, Ashraf Ali and Lilik Abdul Hamid.

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Junaid Ismail will be buried tonight. [Source: NZ Herald]

Earlier today father and son Khaled and Hamza Mustafa were laid to rest.

Laid to rest were Khaled Mustafa and his 14-year-old son Hamza, a student of Cashmere High School, while younger son Zahid looked on from a wheelchair, himself a victim of the shooting.


Zahid Mustafa – the brother and son of the two victims buried today, Khaled and Hamza Mustafa [Source: stuff.co.nz]

The family had arrived in New Zealand only months ago, escaping conflict in Syria.

Just after 12.20pm a funeral procession arrived at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch, led by a police car.

Shrouded and lying in open caskets the two were carried by mourners into a canvas set up in the Islamic section of the cemetery.

Less than 20 minutes later the caskets were lowered into the ground with the family watching.

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she met with the Muslim community leaders and acknowledged their “resolve” to support those who are grieving.

She acknowledged that many people wanted to support Muslims to return to their mosques, and to mark a week since the massacre.

There will be an official two minutes of silence on Friday to mark a week since the Christchurch terror attacks, Jacinda Ardern has announced.

A Muslim call to prayer will also be played on TVNZ and RNZ on Friday.

Ardern said many Kiwis were keen to express their grief a week on from the horrific attack, where 50 people were killed.

“To acknowledge this there will be two minutes of silence on Friday.”

Further details would be released ahead of Friday.

[Source: NZ Herald and stuff.co.nz]