New Zealand shooting – Funeral for ‘energetic and playful’ little boy, 3 who died in dad’s arms inside mosque as child leaves heartbreaking note among flowers
Mucaad Ibrahim was separated from his older brother Abdi and their dad when the shooting began at the Al Noor mosque
NEW ZEALAND-born Mucaad Ibrahim, three, who died in his dad’s arms after being shot in the mosques massacre, has been laid to rest at a mass funeral service.
The little boy, described by grieving friends and family as a joyful, energetic child with an affinity for his elders, was the youngest known victim of the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
He was separated from his older brother Abdi and their dad when the shooting began at the Al Noor mosque, and ended at Linwood mosque on Friday, March 15, resulting in the deaths of 50 children, women and men.
After an agonising search by the toddler's family, Abdi said police finally confirmed that the toddler had been killed.
Mucaad was born and raised in Christchurch.
He was beloved by the community, where he was known for his energetic demeanour and easy laugh. Mucaad was bright and bubbly, and loved playing with an iPad.
Ahmed Osman, a close family friend, said Mucaad used to cheer from the sidelines as Osman and Abdi played soccer on Friday evenings at a park near the mosque.
The little boy had planned to watch them play soccer as usual on Friday. But, tragically, he never made it.
Last embrace
At his funeral today, his body was carried "aloft in a shroud, almost weightless, by ten of his Somali family wearing long dark robes. Some of them reached in for a last embrace," reports the .
The child’s funeral was one of 26 held on Friday, at a fenced-off area at Linwood’s Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch, over a period of two hours.
His family had fled fighting in Somalia two decades ago.
The Herald reports that a 27th person, Mohamed Elmi, who died in a car crash after grieving with victims following the attack, was also buried.
People across New Zealand listened to the call to prayer on live broadcasts while thousands, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered in leafy Hagley Park opposite the Al Noor mosque, where 42 people were slain.
"We are broken-hearted, but not broken"
The Al Noor mosque's imam, Gamal Fouda, thanked New Zealanders for their support.
He said: "This terrorist sought to tear our nation apart with an evil ideology. But, instead, we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable.
"We are broken-hearted but we are not broken. We are alive. We are together. We are determined to not let anyone divide us," he added, as an estimated 20,000 people erupted with applause.
Family members took turns passing around shovels and wheelbarrows to bury their loved ones.
Ahmed Osman said the support of the community has helped the family pull through after Mucaad's death.
He said: "New Zealand is always behind us. Even when we walk down the street, people stop us and say, 'Are you guys OK?' That's what New Zealand is about. It's all about coming together. One person cannot stop us."
A boy's handwritten note, seen among thousands of flowers outside the Al Noor Mosque, showed the country's sorrow with its poignant message.
It reads: "I wish the egg didn't do that. Love from Blake."
The word "egg" is slang for clown or idiot in the country.
The burials come two days after New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush said he believes police officers stopped the gunman on his way to another attack.
Bush said they believe they know where the shooter was going, but won't say more because it's an active investigation.
FBI agents have travelled to New Zealand to help with the investigation, he added.
![A note from a youngster named Blake says of the attacker 'I wish that egg [slang for clown or idiot] didn't do that'](http://mcb777.fun/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/NINTCHDBPICT000477785302.jpg?strip=all&w=600)
