New Zealand mosque shooter’s livestream sparks social media scramble to remove sick footage

The horrific mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques that left 49 people dead was live-streamed on Facebook and shared across social media, sparking a scramble by tech giants to remove the sick footage.

The gunman reportedly broadcast 17 minutes of the attack.

“Police alerted us to a video on Facebook shortly after the live stream commenced and we quickly removed both the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and the video. We're also removing any praise or support for the crime and the shooter or shooters as soon as we’re aware,” Facebook said in a statement.

Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by the horrendous shootings in New Zealand," the company added.