Two rural police officers 'took down Christchurch massacre suspect'

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the attacker surely would have killed even more people were it not for the bravery of the policemen

Police keep the scene clear after a mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. AP Photo

People call loved ones and relatives outside the mosque. AP Photo

Police cordon off Strickland Street where a car bomb has been found in Christchurch, New Zealand. Getty Images

Police block the road near the shooting at a mosque in Linwood, Christchurch. AP Photo

Police escort men from the mosque in central Christchurch where dozens of people were feared dead after a shooting. AP Photo

A police officer escorts a man away from the mosque. AP Photo

A man wounded in the mosque attack in Christchurch is loaded in an ambulance.

Armed police at the scene. The gunman is still at large. Reuters

Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in Christchurch. AP Photo

A car with shattered windows is parked close to the mosque after a gunman filming himself firing at worshippers inside in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. A gunman opened fire inside the Masjid al Noor mosque during afternoon prayers, causing multiple fatalities. / AFP / Flynn FOLEY

Deans Avenue, near the Hagley Oval in Christchurch is cordoned off.

Armed police maintain a presence outside the Masijd Ayesha Mosque in Manurewa, Auckland. Getty Images

Police maintain a presence outside the Porchester Masjid Mosque in Manurewa. Getty Images

Hamzah Noor Yahaya, a survivor of the shootings at Al Noor mosque, stands in front of Christchurch Hospita. Getty Images

The Baitul Muqeet Mosque is pictured empty in Homai, Auckland. Getty Images

The Chiefs and Hurricanes gather together to remember the victims of the Christchurch shooting. Getty Images

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has praised the dramatic arrest of the suspected Christchurch gunman just 36 minutes after authorities were alerted was carried out by a pair of rural New Zealand police offices.

Ms Ardern said the alleged attacker, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, would surely have killed more people than the 49 worshippers he massacred in two mosques were it not for the policemen.

"The offender was mobile, there were two other firearms in the vehicle that the offender was in, and it absolutely was his intention to continue with his attack," Ms Ardern told reporters in Christchurch.

Grainy video footage, apparently shot from a passing car, shows the gunman's light-coloured vehicle at the side of a busy road, rammed against the kerb by a police car and with one of its front wheels suspended in the air.

An officer – who appeared to only be armed with a handgun – approach the opened passenger door of the car pointing his weapon inside before being joined by a second officer who appeared to be aiming a larger firearm.

"They were rural community cops I understand from Lincoln [a nearby town] who were present here. Anyone who has seen the footage... they put New Zealand first," Ms Ardern said.

"The individual charged was in custody 36 minutes from receiving the first call," she said.

The officers can be seen dragging a black-clad figure away from the vehicle, as motorists slowly drove by on the other side of the city carriageway.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush also praised the officers who brought the massacre to an abrupt halt.

"I would also like to commend … as some of you would have seen the brave actions on social media of police staff who responded to this incident," he said.

"I'm extremely proud of what they've done today."

Tarrant, 28, smirked and flashed a white power gesture as he appeared in court Saturday charged with one count of murder. Further charges are expected to follow.