Hyderabad-native Ahmed critical after NZ mosque attack

HYDERABAD: Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir from Hyderabad was among the people who were injured in horific mass shooting incidents at two New Zealand mosques on Friday.

After receiving the gunshot in the chest, Ahmed was immediately taken to a hospital after the attack and underwent a surgery. He is battling for his life.

A residents of Amberpet in Hyderabad, Ahmed went to New Zealand 15 years ago where he runs a Hyderabadi food restaurant near Al Noor Mosquet in Christchurch. His family members were safe.

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Speaking to TNM, his brother, Mohammed Khursheed Jahangir, said, “He has been in New Zealand for almost 12 years now and he owns a restaurant there which offers Hyderabadi cuisine. He went for his Friday prayers. Two of his friends were killed in the attack. My brother himself is struggling for his life. We are not able to get any proper news about what is happening over there. He has a wife and two children; one aged 3 and one aged 5.”

An anxious Khursheed was waiting for more information from New Zealand. He wants to rush to New Zealand to be with his brother and sought help of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Owaisi, in turn, reached out to TRS Working President KT Rama Rao over Twitter to help Jahangir’s family to travel to New Zealand.

K. T. Rama Rao said he would request NRI department to help the family.

Another Farhaj Ahsan, of Indian origin, was also reported to have gone to the same mosque and is currently missing.

Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Sanjeev Kohli said nine missing persons of Indian national/origin following the terror attack.

“As per updates received from multiple sources, there are nine missing persons of Indian national/origin. Official confirmation still awaited. Huge crime against humanity. Our prayers are with their families,” Kohli tweeted.

Attacks on two mosques in New Zealand which left at least 49 people dead on Friday have sparked horror, revulsion and dismay around the world.

One of the gunmen – believed to be an Australian extremist — apparently livestreamed the deadly assault.

Muslims face ‘mass killing’

“With this attack, hostility towards Islam that the world has been has been idly watching and even encouraging for some time, has gone beyond the boundaries of individual harassment to reach the level of mass killing,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.