New Zealand terror gunman’s chilling arsenal of assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammo scrawled with bizarre symbols and names of mass killers

A WHITE supremacist shooter scrawled a neo-Nazi symbol on his ammunition before unleashing a horrific mosque massacre that claimed the lives of at least 49 people.

The Black Sun, used in Satanism, was marked on the bag holding assault rifles and ammunition used in the attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand - with one shooting live-streamed on Facebook.

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One gunman, calling himself Brenton Tarrant on social media, filmed himself firing more than 100 shots at those inside the Al Noor Mosque on Friday afternoon local time.

In the twisted footage shared online, the gunman can be seen taking automatic weapons from his boot.

He then enters and shoots down multiple people in the prayer room, as they run in panic. The man shoots several people from the car park before stalking through the building, picking off people and shooting bodies on the floor.

One witness claimed to LBC that the words "welcome to hell" were written on the side of one of the firearms as the gunman opened fire.

And the sick shooter appeared to have latched onto obscure battles that saw admirals beat back the Turks in battles across the 16th and 18th centuries.

What we know so far:

• At least one terrorist opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, at 1.40pm local time on Friday
• 49 people have been killed - 41 were killed at Masjid Al Noor Mosque, seven at Linwood Masjid Mosque and one died at hospital, another 48 are in hospital with gunshot wounds and 20 are in critical condition
• A gunman live-streamed the deadly attack on Facebook using a GoPro in footage too distressing to show
• It was posted on a Facebook page belonging to Brenton Tarrant
• It is understood the killer is an Australian who published a chilling 74-page manifesto before the rampage
• A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow

Among those named was Venetian Admiral Sebastiano Venier, who made his name at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 - a date also written onto the assault rifle used.

The battle saw the Christian League decisively defeated the Turks. The name of Italian aristocrat Marcantonio Colonna was also scrawled onto the bags of ammunition, along with Șerban Cantacuzino who took part in the Ottoman campaign which ended in their defeat at the Battle of Vienna.

The name of Russian seaman Dmitry Senyavin was also written in white on the guns, who fought during the Russo-Turk war, along with military governor Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, who battled in Great Turkish War.

British Admiral Edward Codrington was also named in the scrawl, having destroyed the Turkish and Egyptian fleet at the Battle of Navarino in the 1800s.

The gunman filmed himself preparing for the massacre in his car, wearing military-style body armour and helmet that read "let's get this party started".

The shooter posted a vile 74-page manifesto online, claiming he had carried out the attack to "take a stand to ensure a future for my people".

In the rambling message, he also wrote the shooting was "to take revenge for Ebba Akerlund".

The 12-year-old Swedish girl had been murdered in the Stockholm lorry attack at the hands of asylum seeker Rakhmat Akilov, from Uzbekistan, in April 2017.

Three men and one woman are in custody following the shootings at Masjid Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Masjid Mosque in Christchurch at around 1.40pm local time.

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Police also defused a number of improvised explosives which were found on nearby booby-trapped cars following the bloodbath.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the death toll had hit 49 and said the country had been placed on its highest security threat level.

She declared: "It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack."

She said four people in police custody held extremist views, but had not been on any police watchlists.

WHO WERE THEY? Confusion over suspects in mosque massacres

AT least 49 people were today killed when shots were fired in two mosques in New Zealand.

Amid the chaos, conflicting reports have emerged over just who was responsible over the horrific attacks.

Initial reports suggested there were two gunmen involved as police were called to the two Christchurch mosques just 10 minutes apart.

However, it is unclear how many suspects were involved in the shootings that has left the city in shock.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed four people had been arrested by cops in the aftermath of the shootings.

One was initially reported to be wearing a suicide vest, but police later discounted that theory.

One man, a 28-year-old, has been charged with murder and will appear in court tomorrow.

Police confirmed two other people had been apprehended, with authorities "working to understand what their involvement is", Commissioner Bush said.

The fourth person is believed to have been armed at the scene, but it is not clear if they were involved in the attack. They remain in custody.

New Zealand and Australian authorities have both confirmed the suspects had not been on agency watch lists.

 

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Video shows New Zealand police detaining a suspect after mosque shootings

New Zealand mosque shooting witness describes to moment he heard gunshots and saw people dying

The shooter is believed to be a 28-year-old Australian.

The video was published on the Facebook account of a man named Brenton Tarrant – and this profile has since been removed.

The names of the gunmen have not yet been confirmed by police.

He also says "Remember lads, subscribe to pewdiepie", referencing the controversial YouTuber.

Following the shootings, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it is "one of New Zealand's darkest days".

In a press conference, Police Commissioner Mike Bush warned police in the city and elsewhere will be carrying guns for the next week or so.

Mr Bush said "there have been some absolute acts of bravery" in the arrests of the four attackers as he confirmed a "significant" amount of casualties.

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