Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah

Abdul Aziz
NZC
Abdul Aziz after receiving the New Zealand Cross, 2022
Born1973 or 1974 (age 51–52)
Afghanistan
OccupationFurniture store owner
Known forConfronting the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings
Children4
AwardsNew Zealand Cross (2021)

Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah NZC (born 1973 or 1974) is an Afghan-born New Zealand man who was lauded as a hero for his actions during the Christchurch mosque shootings on 15 March 2019. He confronted the terrorist Brenton Tarrant outside the Linwood Islamic Centre, chasing him away and potentially saving lives. For his bravery, he was awarded the New Zealand Cross in 2021.

Early life and family

Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah was born in 1973 or 1974[1] in Afghanistan. He left the country with his parents as a refugee when he was a child,[2] and subsequently lived in Australia for 27 years.[3][4] In March 2019 he and his family had lived in Christchurch for two years, where he owned a second-hand furniture store.[2][3][5] He has four sons.[6][4]

Actions during the attack

On 15 March 2019, Aziz was inside the Linwood Islamic Centre with about 80 other worshippers, including his children, when he heard gunshots. Initially thinking it was fireworks, he realised it was an attack when he saw a man in tactical gear carrying a rifle.[7][8][9][4][6]

Without a weapon, Aziz grabbed a handheld credit card machine and ran outside, shouting "Come here!" to distract the terrorist. The gunman, Brenton Tarrant, turned and fired at him. Aziz took cover behind cars as bullets flew past. He then noticed that the shooter's rifle had jammed.[6][10]

Seizing the moment, Aziz picked up the empty rifle and threw it like a spear at Tarrant, hitting him. The attacker ran to his car. Aziz chased him, picked up the discarded rifle again, and damaged the rear window of the vehicle with it as Tarrant sped away.[6][11][12]

Aftermath and recognition

Tarrant was arrested by police shortly after the attack; Aziz was hailed as a hero for his bravery.[13][14][15]

During Tarrant's sentencing in August 2020, Aziz confronted him directly in court. He told the terrorist that he should thank God or Allah that Aziz did not catch him, and concluded: "Never forget these two eyes you ran from".[16][17][18]

In the 2021 New Zealand bravery awards, Aziz was awarded the New Zealand Cross, the country's highest civilian honour for bravery.[19][20][21][22] His investiture by the governor-general, Cindy Kiro, took place at a ceremony at Christchurch Town Hall on 5 July 2022.[23]

The last paragraph of the citation for the NZ Cross read:[24]

The situation in which Mr Aziz found himself was extremely dangerous. In challenging the gunman he displayed great courage and bravery, and complete disregard for his own safety. Mr Aziz’s brave actions deterred the gunman from re-entering this Mosque to kill and maim others and ultimately forced the gunman to flee the Mosque.

In 2023, Aziz was part of the official New Zealand delegation that attended the coronation of King Charles in London.[25][26]

References

  1. ^ Moorhouse, Emily (9 April 2024). "Christchurch terror attack 'hero' Abdul Aziz in court for alleged assault". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b Collins, Simon (11 March 2020). "Christchurch mosque hero still can't sleep: 'I could have done better'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b Otte, Jedidajah (17 March 2019). "'Come over here!': the man who chased away the Christchurch shooter". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c "Abdul Aziz: The man who saved lives by running at the Christchurch gunman". ABC News. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  5. ^ Cave, Damien; Saxton, Amanda (27 August 2020). "New Zealand Gives Christchurch Killer a Record Sentence". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d Theunissen, Matthew (17 March 2019). "Abdul Aziz: Saved lives by running at gunman in mosque". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  7. ^ Fish, Logan; O'Reilly, Mick (15 June 2019). "Video: Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah, a hero from the Christchurch attacks recounts the day". Gulf News. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  8. ^ McKew, Matthew; Deaton, Jennifer; Vera, Amir (16 March 2019). "Dodging bullets, a father of 4 confronted the New Zealand shooter and saved lives". CNN. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  9. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (27 August 2020). "'Five million brothers and sisters': relief mixes with joy in Christchurch". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  10. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (26 August 2020). "Christchurch gunman says he will not speak at sentencing hearing". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  11. ^ "The Christchurch testimonies: survivors and the bereaved give their accounts of New Zealand's worst terror attack". The Guardian. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  12. ^ Sakar, Recep (17 December 2021). "'We showed to humanity that we can sacrifice our lives to save others', says Christchurch hero". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  13. ^ Scagell, Julie (18 March 2019). "Father Of 4 Hailed As Hero After Chasing New Zealand Mosque Shooter". Scary Mommy. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  14. ^ Addison, Steve (17 March 2019). "Christchurch man who threw card machine at mosque attacker says he is no hero". The National. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  15. ^ Moorhouse, Emily (9 April 2024). "Christchurch terror attack 'hero' facing assault charge". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  16. ^ Leask, Anna; Bayer, Kurt (27 August 2020). "'What courage': Judge commends mosque Eftpos hero, prompting applause from court". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  17. ^ Faruqi, Osman (29 August 2020). "Lessons of the NZ mosque attacks". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  18. ^ Brown, Tim (26 August 2020). "Christchurch mosque shooter's sentencing: 'I saw the fear in his eyes,' says man who chased killer". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  19. ^ Corlett, Eva (17 December 2021). "New Zealand honours 'extraordinary' bravery of 10 during Christchurch attacks". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  20. ^ "'Huge privilege': Officers who arrested March 15 gunman receive bravery awards". Otago Daily Times. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  21. ^ Perry, Nick (23 January 2022). "New Zealand massacre survivor receives top award for civilian bravery". The Christian Century. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  22. ^ Mercer, Phil (15 December 2021). "New Zealand Honors Heroes of 2019 Mosque Attack". Voice of America. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  23. ^ "New Zealand Bravery Awards". Government House, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  24. ^ "Citations for New Zealand Bravery Awards". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC). 15 March 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2026. "...licensed for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence". (see here
  25. ^ "Mosque attack hero Abdul Aziz on way to coronation". RNZ News. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  26. ^ "The Procession of The King and The Queen – The Coronation Roll". Coronation roll. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
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