Iranian Speaker, VP Condemn Deadly Terror Attack in New Zealand
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, in separate messages on Saturday, denounced Friday’s terrorist shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that killed dozens of people.
In a message to New Zealand Parliament Speaker Trevor Mallard, Larijani offered his condolences to the New Zealanders over the “inhumane” terrorist incident in Christchurch, which led to the killing and injuring of a number of “innocent” people.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a country that itself has been the victim of terrorism and paid huge financial and human costs in the fight against this sinister phenomenon, is ready to consult and cooperate with all independent countries to reach a comprehensive solution in the fight against terrorism,” he said.
In a separate message, Jahangiri condemned the deadly attack and said the fight against terrorism requires a global will and consensus as well as a fair and unbiased reaction.
At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country’s worst ever mass shooting, which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism.
A gunman broadcast livestream footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a “manifesto” in which he denounced immigrants, calling them “invaders”.
New Zealand was placed on its highest security threat level, Ardern said, adding that “this can now only be described as a terrorist attack”.
Police said three people were in custody including one man in his late 20s who had been charged with murder.
