A HERO imam seen covered in blood has told how he warned worshippers to take cover after hearing the gunman open fire outside – saving countless lives.

Alabi Lateef Zirullah was leading prayers at Linwood mosque in Christchurch when Brenton Tarrant started shooting, killing six people outside.

Mr Zirullah, who was later pictured leaving the mosque in blood-soaked robes, said: “When I saw those Muslims shot dead I just told our brothers, 'Go down! Go down! Somebody has just shot our brothers outside the masjid.'

“No one listened to me until unfortunately he came from behind and he shot one of our brothers [in] the head through the window.

“He saw him standing and shot him [through] the window. When glass got broken and the brother fell down, everyone realised to go down.”

Mr Zirullah then rushed outside with worshipper Abdul Aziz, who picked up a credit card machine, yelling "come here".

Mr Aziz hurled the machine at Tarrant, then found one of his discarded weapons and threw that “like an arrow”, chasing the gunman away.

Yesterday, Pope Francis offered prayers for “our Muslim brothers”, saying the attack added to “the pain, wars and conflicts that don't cease to afflict humanity”.

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