ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday “strongly condemned” the attack on two mosques in New Zealand that left at least 40 people dead.
“I strongly condemn the terror attack against the Al Noor Mosque in #NewZealand and Muslim worshippers. May Allah have mercy on the victims and grant a speedy recovery to the wounded,” the Turkish leader wrote on Twitter in English.
His spokesman Ibrahim Kalin had earlier called it a “fascist” attack that “shows how anti-Muslim rhetoric and hatred leads to murderous acts. The world must break its silence over Islamophobic hatred”.
The attacks were on two Christchurch mosques, with one gunman –- identified as an Australian extremist — apparently livestreaming the assault that triggered the lockdown of the New Zealand city.
© Agence France-Presse
