PewDiePie ‘sickened’ by claims suspected Christchurch shooter said his name before attack

YouTuber PewDiePie has addressed the claims that a suspected Christchurch gunman said his name shortly before an attack which left ‘many dead’.

The Swedish gamer – real name Felix Kjellberg – tweeted: ‘Just heard news of the devastating reports from New Zealand Christchurch.

‘I feel absolutely sickened having my name uttered by this person. My heart and thoughts go out to the victims, families and everyone affected by this tragedy.’

The 29-year-old’s comments come after a live stream of the alleged gunman was posted online.

He can be heard saying: ‘Let’s get this party started,’ as he drives up, before adding: ‘Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie.’

There have been 49 fatalities in the wake of the shooting, with another 20 people injured. Mosques in Deans Avenue and Linwood Avenue were targeted in the attack, but police urged all mosques across New Zealand to shut their doors in the wake of the incident.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the attack was ‘well planned’ as she confirmed the death toll, adding to her early comments that the events in the city of Christchurch represented ‘an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence’.

The phrase used by the suspected shooter became a common saying among Felix’s fans after he came close to losing his spot as YouTube’s most subscribed channel to Indian music label T-Series.

He recently branded a fan’s graffiti on a New York World War II memorial ‘disgusting’ after it was brought to his attention that the phrase ‘Sub to PewDiePie’ had been etched into the side.

Felix currently has a following of more than 89 million, and is most well known for his ‘let’s play’ style gaming videos.

MORE: PewDiePie makes donation to Brooklyn park after fan vandalises WWII memorial

MORE: YouTuber PewDiePie brands fan’s grafitti on WWII memorial ‘disgusting’