‘Some people fled but he still shot them’

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Khaled Alnobani says there are more important issues for the Christchurch terror attack inquest to focus on than the Al Noor mosque’s emergency door.

A survivor of the Christchurch terror attacks has questioned whether lives would have been saved if the Al Noor mosque’s emergency door opened as intended.

“I believe if more people were outside, they would be shot outside as well,” Khaled Alnobani told the coronial inquest into the attacks on Tuesday.

In his brief of evidence read to the court last week, Alnobani questioned the inquest’s focus on the emergency door in the southeast corner of the mosque’s main prayer room. He said there were more important issues the court could focus on.

“I do not blame anyone for the door not opening,” his statement said.

Alnobani previously told media of the door’s failure to open during the attacks.

The court has identified that 11 people may have survived if the door, known as door D, opened during the attacks.

Alnobani, who could not open the door and escaped by crawling through its broken glass before pulling others out, disagreed as he took the stand, flanked by an interpreter.

“More people will make it outside, but they would be an easy target. Some people fled out the windows and hid between the cars, but he still shot them.”

Alnobani was himself shot at by the terrorist after he fled outside to the street, the inquest previously heard. He took two people who he thought were the first victims to Christchurch Hospital.

A volunteer at the mosque, Alnobani was familiar with how the door worked. He was asked by Wendy Aldred, counsel assisting the coroner, why he thought it did not open.

Wayne Roden, Christchurch City Council fire engineer, says the Al Noor mosque as miscategorised initially as a “crowd small” building.

“Only God knows, it’s the will of God. Maybe because many people were pushing the door,” he replied.

In his written evidence last week he described there being a lot of pressure on the door from people trying to push it open, as well as friction from those crawling through its broken glass panel.

“If the door could be fully opened during the attack, do you think many more would’ve escaped?” Aldred asked.

“I believe if more people were outside, they would be shot outside as well. It would be easier for him to shoot people outside,” Alnobani said.

Murray Stirling, Muslim Association of Canterbury treasurer, says the door was difficult to open.

During the evidence of Christchurch City Council fire engineer Wayne Roden, the court heard the mosque was initially miscategorised as a “crowd small” building instead of “crowd large”.

The latter would have required crash bars (panic fasteners) to be fitted on its emergency doors.

Roden accepted the initial categorisation was a mistake, but did not agree the council could have fixed it by ordering the installation of crash bars.

“The only way we can make a building owner upgrade their building is if we declare it dangerous. My view is that we wouldn’t have considered it dangerous,” Roden said.

Muslim Association of Canterbury treasurer Murray Stirling only ever interacted with door D after March 15, but said it was difficult to open because it was out of line and due to the small snib lock.

Not long after the attacks, he took it upon himself to realign the door with a hammer and piece of wood. After his DIY fixes the door became easier to open, he told the inquest.

In September 2019, the snib lock was removed and a crash bar put in its place.

The resumption of deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley’s first phase inquest into the attacks has focused on door D over the past week and a half.

It is expected to conclude on Wednesday. Expert evidence on the door is expected to be heard at a date later this year.

The second phase of the inquiry, set down for four weeks in October, will focus on firearms licensing - known as issue 10.

The coroner’s findings on issues 1 to 9, and 13 - the events on the day of the attacks - will not be made until all of the issue 13 evidence (on door D) has been heard.