By Riyaz ul Khaliq <br> <br> ANKARA (AA) – A Syrian father and son killed in last week’s New Zealand terror attack on a mosque were the first to be laid to rest at a mass funeral on Wednesday.<br> <br> Members of the Muslim community in Christchurch, the site of the attacks, came together to bury the victims of what New Zealand’s prime minister called the “darkest day” in the country’s history. <br> <br> The bodies of the father and son were carried by members of the Muslim community to the cemetery, a spokesman for the Syrian Solidarity New Zealand (SSNz) group told Anadolu Agency. <br> </p> <p>Khalid Mustafa, 45, and Hamza Mustafa, 15, both Syrian refugees, were buried in the Muslim section of Memorial Park Cemetery in the Christchurch suburbs. <br> <br> Khalid’s younger son, Zaid, was badly injured in the attack but survived. <br> <br> The father and son were among 42 worshippers shot dead inside the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, among a total of 50 killed. <br> <br> SSNz spokesman Ali Akil said that 13-year-old Zaid attended the funeral in a wheelchair. <br> <br> SSNz works among Syrians living New Zealand. <br> <br> "I shouldn't be standing in front of you. I should be lying beside you,” said a wailing Zaid Mustafa in front of his father's grave. <br> <br> He underwent a six-hour operation for the injuries he sustained in the attack.
— From Syria to New Zealand
The Mustafa family fled war-torn Syria and arrived in New Zealand in 2018. Survivors of the last week's deadly attack also include Khalid’s wife and a 10-year-old daughter.
The brothers studied at Cashmere High School in the city.
Besides the Syrian father and son, four more burials took place today. A mass funeral is expected in a few days.
At least 50 Muslims were killed in cold blood and as many injured last Friday when a terrorist opened fire on worshipers during weekly prayers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, in a sign of rising Islamophobia worldwide.
The terrorist — identified as Brenton Harrison Tarrant — streamed the massacre for 17 minutes on social media.
The 28-year-old Australian is in custody of New Zealand police and is being charged for the massacre. He will be presented before a court on April 6.
“I cannot tell you how gutting it is to know that a family came here for safety and refuge [but died in the attack] and they should have been safe here, ” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference in Christchurch on Wednesday evening.
Ardern today paid a second visit to the attack site.
The New Zealand government, praised across the globe for its handling of the aftermath of the attack, is preparing for a mass commemoration of the incident this Friday.
“To acknowledge this, there will be two minutes of silence on Friday,” Ardern said, adding that the Muslim call to prayer will also be broadcast nationally over television and radio.
