Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan showed semi-blurred video footage of a terrorist attack on a New Zealand mosque at a rally in Tekirdağ province on Saturday, the Arti Gerçek news website reported.
“If today Erdoğan is being attacked, the reason is that our country is stronger,” he said, claiming that the terrorist in New Zealand had targeted Turkey and its president.
New Zealand police said at least 49 people were killed on Friday at two mosques in the picturesque South Island city of Christchurch. More than 20 were seriously injured in what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called a terrorist attack.
One man was arrested and charged with murder in what appeared to be a carefully planned racist attack. Police also defused explosive devices in a car.
Turkey will hold local elections on March 31.