Mosque shootings kill several people in New Zealand

Several people were killed in a shootout inside a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, said a witness Friday.

Mustafa Farouk, a spokesman for the Muslim community, said at least six people were wounded, two of them seriously, during the badault of the mosque, where were between 300 and 500 people, according to Radio New Zealand.

The police did not describe the extent of the shooting, but asked residents of the city, in the center of the country, not to go out into the street. Shortly after, he reported that a suspect had been arrested.

Police blocked downtown, located in the South Island of New Zealand, and called on the population to stay home while.

The local press, meanwhile, said that a second mosque had been evacuated.

Witness Len Peneha said to have seen a man dressed in black enter the mosque Masjid Al Norr and later, he heard dozens of shots, followed by people leaving terrorized from the spot.

He also stated that he saw the attacker fleeing before the rescue arrived.

Peneha commented that she entered the mosque to try to help: "I saw dead everywhere"

According to another witness, the attacker wore a helmet, glbades and a military jacket and used an automatic weapon with which he fired about twenty shots.

According to coindident reports, the All the cricket team of Bangladesh was in the mosque where the shooting was recorded, but the players managed to escape through a park adjacent to the building.

The police commissioner Mike Bush He reported that all schools in Christchurch were locked up in response to "a serious gun incident".

"Police are urging residents of downtown Christchurch to avoid being on the streets and reporting suspicious behavior," he added.

A witness told local radio that he heard several gunshots and immediately saw four people on the floor, "with blood everywhere".

With information from AFP, AP and EFE