Christchurch mosque shootings: Father and son Syrian refugees killed

The family of Khaled Mustafa thought they had found safety in New Zealand after fleeing the bloody chaos of Syria only a few months ago.

But he and his 16-year-old son Hamza became victims of hatred when they were shot while praying at the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on Friday.

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• The faces of the victims

Hamza, who was orginially reported missing, was confirmed dead by Syrian Solidarity New Zealand this morning. He was the oldest son of Mustafa.

A younger brother, Zaid, 13, is also recovering from a six-hour operation on his wounds at Christchurch Hospital.

Syrian Solidarity NZ posted to Facebook saying while the boy is in a stable condition, he does not know that both his father and brother have been killed. Their younger sister does not know either.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to this family and all the families affected by this atrocious act of terror that has certainly terrorised New Zealand as a whole," the post read.

Spokesman Ali Akil said Mustafa's wife and daughter, who were not at the mosque on Friday, were in "total shock, devastation and horror".

"The devastated and deeply horrified mother is at the same time trying to look after her hospitalised son," the Facebook post read.

Akil added: "They survived atrocities and arrived here in a safe haven, only to be killed in the most atrocious way.

"They were just looking for a safe place. Unfortunately we can't claim that New Zealand is a safe place any more."

Mustafa came to New Zealand with his wife and three children in 2018.

He and his son are two of the 49 people killed following a terrorist attack at two mosques on Friday afternoon.

Sole gunman Brenton Tarrant has been named as responsible for both the shootings.