Turkish man shares terrifying account of pretending to be dead during Christchurch attack

Delhi: A Turkish man miraculously survived the Christchurch terror attack by pretending to be dead in front of the attacker. Mustafa Boztas, from Turkey, was shot in the leg during the carnage that left 49 dead and dozens injured last Friday.

Recounting the entire incident from the hospital bed, Boztas he’s alive today only because he could falsely portray that he was in the stack of those killed by 28-year-old Brendon Tarrant, an Australian national. Even as Boztas lay injured in searing pain in the mosque, he mustered the courage to escape through a window and jump outside. He also shot a video while he was outside from his mobile phone.

In the visuals, Boztas is seen sitting on the pavement with blood all over his hands. Lying around several dead bodies, Boztas said he broke down, hoping not to see a traumatic sight like this ever in his life again.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been widely praised for her compassionate and decisive handling of the tragedy.

“The families of the fallen will have justice,” said Ardern, vowing never to mention the alleged gunman's name again.

"The person who committed these acts was not from New Zealand. He was not brought up here. He did not find his ideology here. But that is not to say that those very same views do not live here," she said.

“He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing. Not even his name.”

Ardern has promised to modify the New Zealand gun laws which allowed Tarrant to legally purchase the weapons he used in the bloodbath, including semi-automatic rifles.

Tarrant has been charged with one count of murder.