Editorial: Heroes who faced the mosque gunman

Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah took on the gunman during the Christchurch attacks armed only with a card payment machine. Photo / Sylvie Whinray, file

EDITORIAL

This week at the High Court in Christchurch, we were once again reminded that real heroes often reside, unobtrusively, among us.

The wretched return to the events at Christchurch mosques on March 15 last year revoked so much terror, pain and grief. But it also revisited incredible bravery.

Few more so than Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah. Who could forget this man who, upon realising what was happening, picked up an Eftpos machine and went after the gunman?

Even after being fired at from close range, Wahabzada continued to advance and punched a discarded rifle through a car window as the cowardly assailant tried to flee.

This week, former Afghani refugee Wahabzada again stared the terrorist down, telling him "never forget these eyes... the one who chased you out".

Wahabzadah has previously said he feels no pride, only remorse that he didn't do more. "I can't go to sleep for a long time because still I am guilty in my heart about what I could have done better to stop him."

Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah reminds the terrorist of his cowardice and said 'never forget these two eyes you ran from'. Photo / Kevin Stent, pool

One of the mosque imams, Latef Alabi, said at the time that the death toll would have been far higher if Wahabzadah hadn't fought back against the intruder.

"That's how we were saved," Alabi said. "Otherwise, if [the gunman] managed to come into the mosque, then we would all probably be gone."

In the real world, superheroes do not appear in vivid blue bodysuits with red capes. Real heroes sometimes come to us as refugees, with little more than the clothes on their backs.