New Zealand attacks: Saudi king to host 200 of victims' kin for haj

WELLINGTON: Aya Al-Umari said she feels like her brother will be accompanying her and will constantly be in her prayers when she travels to Mecca next month to take part in the annual Haj pilgrimage. Al-Umari is one of 200 relatives and survivors from the Christchurch mosque shootings who are travelling to Saudi Arabia as guests of King Salman. The king is paying for all travel and accommodation costs, a bill likely to run to over $1 million.
The Saudi ambassador to New Zealand, Abdulrahman Al Suhaibani, on Friday said farewell to the pilgrims at the Al Noor mosque, one of two mosques where a gunman killed 51 people in March. "It helps with the grief as well," Al-Umari said.
^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

References

1. ^{^} Mecca (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} Haj pilgrimage (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} Christchurch mosque shootings (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} Saudi Arabia (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
5. ^{^} Al Noor mosque (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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