'Police took 20 minutes to come': New Zealand terror attack survivor slams authorities for their 'slow' response after he escaped through the mosque back door while the killer was 'shooting everyone'
- Survivor of Al Noor Mosque shooting has slammed officials' response time
- Khaled Al-Nobani said it took police '20 minutes' when it should've been 'two'
- Mr Al-Nobani said that more than '10' close friends in Christchurch hospital
- At least 49 people are dead and 48 have been injured in the terror attack
A survivor of the New Zealand terror attack has slammed police for taking '20 minutes' to attend Al Noor Mosque after a gunman opened fire inside.
Khaled Al-Nobani escaped by fleeing through a door and 'breaking a gate' during the terror attacks in which at least one gunman killed 49 worshipers from 1.30pm on Friday.
Speaking outside Christchurch Hospital, Mr Al-Nobani slammed police, saying they should have take just 'two minutes' to respond.
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Khaled Al-Nobani (right), who escaped by fleeing through a door and 'breaking a gate', said it should have taken officials just 'two minutes' to respond to attack at 1.30pm on Friday
The picture shows the Armed Offenders Squad pushing back members of the public following the shooting
'The police took 20 minutes to come. We are in the middle of the city,' he told The New Zealand Herald.
'The middle of Christchurch - 20 minutes the police took to come. There was no traffic about. You need two minute [maximum] response,' he added.
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Police have not confirmed how long they took to arrive at the mosque but Commissioner Mike Bush said he was proud of how quick officers were.
Mr Al-Nobani said he witnessed the gunman storm into the religious building and 'start shooting everyone'.
He managed to get away through a back door alongside some children with the help of his friend.
The image shows a man being put into an ambulance on a stretcher by medical staff after the shooting
Another horrified survivor of the attack has told how a man tackled the gunman and stole one of his weapons before running away.
Syed Mazharuddin was praying on Friday at the Linwood Masjid mosque in Christchurch when he heard gunshots right in front of him.
He said he saw the shooter wearing protective gear and firing wildly before a young man attempted to tackle the gunman.
'He saw an opportunity and pounced and took his gun,' Mr Mazharuddin told The NZ Herald.
The young hero took the gun out of the shooter's hands and attempted to defend people in the mosque but couldn't figure out how to use the weapon, he said.
'The hero tried to chase and he couldn't find the trigger in the gun... he ran behind him but there were people waiting for him in the car and he fled,' Mr Mazharuddin added.
A member of the Armed Offenders Squad is pictured following the shooting at the mosque in Christchurch
The image shows police attempting to clear people from outside the mosque in central Christchurch
At least 49 people are dead and 48 have been injured on what the New Zealand Prime Minister called New Zealand's 'darkest day'.
The gunman, who identified himself as Brenton Tarrant from Grafton, NSW, Australia, stormed the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on the country's South Island about 1.30pm.
He opened fire with a semi-automatic shotgun and a rifle on about 100 defenceless worshippers attending Friday prayers.
A man who identified himself as Brenton Tarrant (pictured) live-streamed the massacre of dozens of people in Christchurch, New Zealand
A sickening 17-minute video of the unfolding horror shows the self-confessed white supremacist dressed in army fatigues firing mercilessly at people scrambling to flee, and calmly reloading when he runs out of bullets.
At about the same time, there was a second shooting at Masjid mosque in Linwood, where seven more were killed.
In the aftermath of the bloody attacks, three men and one woman were arrested, with police charging 'one man in his late 20s' with murder.
He is expected to face court on Saturday.
Three of the arrests are believed to be directly related to the attacks, with the fourth's involvement still being determined.
Of the 49 fatalities, 41 were killed at the Al Noor Mosque and seven at the Linwood Avenue mosque. Three were outside the mosque itself.
A 49th died in hospital.
