Christchurch mosque shootings

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Christchurch mosque shootings
The Al Noor Mosque in August 2019
Location	Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Coordinates	43.5329°S 172.6118°E / -43.5329; 172.6118 (Al Noor Mosque) 43.5324°S 172.6726°E / -43.5324; 172.6726 (Linwood Islamic Centre)
Date	15 March 2019 (15 March 2019) 1:40 – 1:59 p.m. (NZDT; UTC+13)
Target	Muslims
Attack type	Mass shooting
Weapons	Windham Weaponry WW-15 AR-15–style rifle Ruger AR-556 AR-15–style rifle 12-gauge Mossberg 930 semi-automatic shotgun 12-gauge Ranger 870 pump-action shotgun .357 Magnum Uberti lever-action rifle .223-caliber Mossberg Predator bolt-action rifle
Deaths	51
Injured	89 (40 by gunfire, including 35 at the Al Noor Mosque and 5 at the Linwood Islamic Centre; 49 others by other causes)
Perpetrator	Brenton Harrison Tarrant
Defenders	Naeem Rashid Abdul Aziz Wahabzada
Motive	Islamophobia White supremacy Belief in the white genocide and Great Replacement conspiracy theory
Verdict	Pleaded guilty to all charges
Convictions	Murder (51 counts) Attempted murder (40 counts) Committing a terrorist act
Sentence	52 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 480 years

On 15 March 2019, two consecutive terrorist mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand. They were committed during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40 p.m. and almost immediately afterwards at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 p.m. Altogether, 51 people were killed and 89 others were injured, including 40 by gunfire. The perpetrator was an Australian man, Brenton Tarrant, then aged 28.

Tarrant was arrested after his vehicle was rammed by a police car as he was driving to a third mosque in Ashburton. He live-streamed the first shooting on Facebook, marking the first successfully live-streamed far-right terror attack, and had published a manifesto online before the attack. On 26 March 2020, he pleaded guilty to 51 murders, 40 attempted murders, and engaging in a terrorist act, and in August was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole – the first such sentence in New Zealand.

The attacks were mainly motivated by white nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and white supremacist beliefs. Tarrant described himself as an ecofascist and professed belief in the far-right "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory in the context of a "white genocide".

The attack was linked to an increase in white supremacy and alt-right extremism globally observed since about 2015. Politicians and world leaders condemned it, and the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, described it as "one of New Zealand's darkest days". The government established a royal commission into its security agencies in the wake of the shootings, which were the deadliest in modern New Zealand history and the worst ever committed by an Australian national. The commission submitted its report to the government on 26 November 2020, the details of which were made public on 7 December.

The shooting has inspired multiple copycat attacks, especially due to its live-streamed nature. In response to this incident, the United Nations designated March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Background

Locations

The gunman first attacked the Al Noor Mosque, the first mosque in the South Island, opened in June 1985. It is located on Deans Avenue in the suburb of Riccarton.

The Linwood Islamic Centre was attacked shortly after the Al Noor Mosque. It opened in early 2018. It is located on Linwood Avenue in the suburb of Linwood.

Perpetrator

The perpetrator, Brenton Tarrant, in a 2016 airport camera photo when he entered Turkey

Brenton Harrison Tarrant (born 27 October 1990), a white Australian man, was 28 years old at the time of the shootings. After his arrest, Tarrant told investigators that he frequented right-wing discussion boards on 4chan and 8chan and also found YouTube to be "a significant source of information and inspiration."

Tarrant arrived in New Zealand in August 2017 and lived in Andersons Bay in Dunedin until the shootings. He was a member of a South Otago gun club, where he practised shooting at its range.

Preparation

Tarrant started planning an attack about two years prior to the shootings, and chose his targets three months in advance. Some survivors at the Al Noor Mosque believed they had seen Tarrant there on several Fridays before the attack, pretending to pray and asking about the mosque's schedules. The Royal Commission report found no evidence of this, and police instead believe that Tarrant had viewed an online tour of Al Noor as part of his planning.

On 8 January 2019, Tarrant used a drone operated from a nearby park to investigate the mosque's grounds. Additionally, he used the Internet to find detailed mosque plans, interior pictures, and prayer schedules to figure out when mosques would be at their busiest levels. On the same day, he had driven past the Linwood Islamic Centre.

Weaponry

Police recovered six guns: two AR-15 style rifles (one manufactured by Windham Weaponry and the other by Ruger), two 12-gauge shotguns (a semi automatic Mossberg 930 and a pump-action Ranger 870), and two other rifles (a .357 Magnum Uberti lever-action rifle, and a .223-calibre Mossberg Predator bolt-action rifle). Tarrant was granted a firearms licence with an "A" endorsement in November 2017, and purchased weapons between December 2017 and March 2019, along with more than 7,000 rounds of ammunition. He used four 30-round magazines, five 40-round magazines, and one 60-round magazine in the shootings. Additionally, he illegally replaced the semi-automatic rifles' small magazines with the higher capacity magazines purchased online, against the conditions of Tarrant's gun licence.

The guns and magazines used were covered in white writing naming historical events, people, and motifs related to historical conflicts, wars, and battles between Muslims and European Christians; as well as the names of recent Islamic terrorist attack victims and the names of far-right attackers. Some of the markings were white supremacist slogans such as the anti-Muslim phrase "Remove Kebab" and the number "14", a reference to Fourteen Words.

His armoured vest had at least seven loaded .223/556 magazines in the front pockets. He also wore an airsoft helmet, which held the head-mounted GoPro he used for his live stream. Police also found four incendiary devices in Tarrant's car; they were defused by the New Zealand Defence Force. He said, on the livestream, that he had planned to set the mosque on fire.

Manifesto

Tarrant wrote a 74-page manifesto titled The Great Replacement, a reference to the "Great Replacement" and "white genocide" conspiracy theories. Minutes before the attacks began, the manifesto was emailed to more than 30 recipients, including the prime minister's office and several media outlets, and links were shared on Twitter and 8chan. Seven minutes after Tarrant sent the email containing the manifesto to parliament, it was forwarded to the parliament security team, who instantly called the police communication centre at 1:40 p.m., around the same time the first 111 calls were made from the Al Noor Mosque.

In the manifesto, several anti-immigrant sentiments are expressed, including hate speech against migrants, white supremacist rhetoric, and calls for all non-European immigrants in Europe whom he claimed to be "invading his land" to be removed. The manifesto displays neo-Nazi symbols though he denies being a Nazi, describing himself instead as an "ethno-nationalist", and an "eco-fascist".

The manifesto was described by some media outlets as "shitposting"—a form of trolling designed to derail conversations and provoke strong reactions from people not in the know. Readers of the manifesto described it as containing deliberately provocative and absurd statements, such as sarcastically claiming to have been turned into a killer by playing violent video games. On 23 March 2019, the manifesto was deemed "objectionable" by the Chief Censor of New Zealand, making it unlawful to possess or distribute it in New Zealand. Exemptions to the ban were available for journalists, researchers, and academics. In August 2019, The New Zealand Herald reported that printed copies of the manifesto were being sold online outside New Zealand, something New Zealand law could not prevent.

Events

Timeline of events 15 March 2019, times are NZDT (UTC+13)
Time	Event
1:40 p.m.	Tarrant enters the Al Noor Mosque.
1:41 p.m.	First 111 call to Police is received.
1:42 p.m.	Police report over the radio of shots fired at Al Noor Mosque.
1:46:00 p.m.	Tarrant leaves Al Noor Mosque for Linwood Islamic centre.
1:46:58 p.m.	Police arrive at the intersection of Deans Avenue and Riccarton Road.
1:51 p.m.	Police arrive outside Al Noor Mosque.
1:52 p.m.	Tarrant arrives at Linwood Islamic centre.
1:54:48 p.m.	Police enter Al Noor Mosque.
1:55 p.m.	Tarrant leaves Linwood Islamic centre.
1:56:25 p.m.	Police car flagged down by a member of the public reporting shots fired at Linwood Islamic centre.
1:57 p.m.	First 111 call to Police from the Linwood Islamic centre.
1:57:49 p.m.	Police pursuit is initiated with Tarrant.
1:59 p.m.	Pursuit ends with Tarrant being apprehended.
1:59:25 p.m.	Police arrive at Linwood Islamic centre.

The shootings, which were the deadliest terror attack committed by an Australian, took place at two separate venues.

Al Noor Mosque

At 1:32 p.m., Tarrant started his live-stream that would last for 17 minutes on Facebook Live, starting with the drive to the Al Noor mosque and ending as he drove away. Just before the shooting, he played several songs, including "Serbia Strong", a Serb nationalist and anti-Muslim song; and "The British Grenadiers", a traditional British military marching song.

At 1:39 p.m., Tarrant parked his vehicle in the driveway next to the Al Noor Mosque. He then armed himself with the Mossberg 930 and Windham Weaponry AR-15 rifle before walking towards the mosque.

At 1:40 p.m., as Tarrant approached the mosque, a worshipper greeted him with "Hello, brother!". Tarrant fired his shotgun nine times towards the front entrance, killing four worshippers. He then threw the shotgun to the ground and opened fire on people inside with the AR-15–style rifle, killing two other men down a hallway near the entrance and dozens more inside a prayer hall; a strobe light attached to the same AR-15 rifle disoriented victims. Another worshipper, Naeem Rashid, charged at Tarrant and knocked him down, dislodging a magazine from his vest in the process. Tarrant quickly got back up and proceeded to shoot Rashid several times, murdering him. Rashid was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Shujaat and the New Zealand Cross, the highest awards of bravery in Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively.

Tarrant fired at worshippers in the prayer hall from close range. He then went outside, where he killed a man, discarded his Windham WW-15 and retrieved a Ruger AR-556 AR-15 from his car. He went to the mosque's southern gate and killed two people in the car park sheltering behind vehicles and wounded another. He reentered the mosque and shot already-wounded people, then again went outside, where he killed a woman lying injured from previous gunfire. Thereupon Tarrant drove over the deceased woman, leaving six minutes after he arrived at the mosque. He shot at fleeing worshippers and cars through the windscreen and closed window of his own car as he was driving towards the Linwood Islamic Centre.

At 1:46 p.m., police arrived near the mosque just as Tarrant was leaving, but his car was hidden by a bus, and at the time, no description of the vehicle had been provided, or that he had left. He drove eastwards on Bealey Avenue at up to 130 km/h (81 mph), weaving between lanes against oncoming traffic and driving onto a grass median strip. At 1:51 p.m., just after the livestream had ended due to a connection interruption, he aimed a shotgun at the driver of a vehicle on Avonside Drive and attempted to fire it twice, but it failed to fire on both occasions. The GoPro device attached to Tarrant's helmet continued recording until he was apprehended by police eight minutes later.

Linwood Islamic Centre

Linwood Islamic Centre, March 2020. At the time of the shootings, there was a building at the front of the section and access was along an ungated driveway to the left.

At 1:52 p.m., Tarrant arrived at the Linwood Islamic Centre, 5 kilometres (3 mi) east of the Al Noor Mosque, while about 100 people were inside. He parked his vehicle on the mosque's driveway, preventing other cars from entering or leaving. According to a witness, Tarrant was initially unable to find the mosque's main door, instead shooting people outside and through a window, killing four and alerting those inside.

A worshipper named Abdul Aziz Wahabzada ran outside. As Tarrant was retrieving another gun from his car, Aziz threw a payment terminal at him. Tarrant fired back at Aziz, who picked up an empty shotgun that Tarrant had dropped. He took cover among nearby cars and attempted to draw Tarrant's attention by shouting, "I'm here!" Regardless, Tarrant entered the mosque, where he shot and killed three people. When Tarrant returned to his car, Aziz confronted him again. Tarrant removed a bayonet from his vest but then retreated into his car instead of attacking Aziz. Tarrant drove away at 1:55 p.m., with Aziz throwing the shotgun at his car. Aziz was awarded the New Zealand Cross, New Zealand's highest award for bravery. In May 2023, he represented recipients of the Cross at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla. After a long period of being left vacant, the building was demolished in November 2023.

Tarrant's arrest

A silver 2005 Subaru Outback matching the description of Tarrant's vehicle was seen by a police unit, and a pursuit was initiated at 1:57 p.m. Two police officers rammed his car off the road with their vehicle, and Tarrant was arrested without resistance on Brougham Street in Sydenham at 1:59 p.m., 18 minutes after the first emergency call.

Tarrant later admitted that when he was arrested, he was on his way to attack a mosque in Ashburton, 90 km (56 mi) southwest of Christchurch. He also told the police that there were "nine more shooters", and that there were "like-minded" people in Dunedin, Invercargill, and Ashburton, but when interviewed later, he confirmed that he had acted alone.

Legal proceedings

Arraignment

Tarrant appeared in the Christchurch District Court on 16 March, where he was charged with one count of murder. The judge ordered the courtroom closed to the public except for accredited media and allowed the accused to be filmed and photographed on the condition that Tarrant's face be pixelated. In court, Tarrant smiled at reporters and made an inverted OK gesture below his waist, said to be a "white power" sign.

The case was transferred to the High Court, and Tarrant was remanded in custody as his lawyer did not seek bail. He was subsequently transferred to the country's only maximum-security unit at Auckland Prison. Tarrant lodged a formal complaint regarding his prison conditions, on the grounds that he had no access to newspapers, television, Internet, visitors, or phone calls. Corrections said Tarrant was being held in accordance with the law and Tarrant later dropped the complaint. On 4 April 2019, police announced they had increased the total number of charges to 89, 50 for murder and 39 for attempted murder, with other charges still under consideration. At the next hearing on 5 April 2019, Tarrant was ordered by the judge to undergo a psychiatric assessment of his mental fitness to stand trial.

On 20 May, a new charge of engaging in a terrorist act was laid against Tarrant under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. One murder charge and one attempted murder charge were also added, bringing the total to 51 and 40, respectively.

Initial plea and pre-trial detention

On 14 June 2019, Tarrant appeared at the Christchurch High Court via audio-visual link from Auckland Prison. Through his lawyer, he pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in a terrorist act, 51 counts of murder, and 40 counts of attempted murder. Mental health assessments had indicated no issues regarding his fitness to plead or stand trial. The trial was originally set to begin on 4 May 2020, but it was later pushed back to 2 June 2020 to avoid coinciding with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

During his time in prison, Tarrant was able to send seven letters, one of which was subsequently posted on the Internet message boards 4chan and 8chan by a recipient. Minister of Corrections Kelvin Davis and the Department of Corrections were criticised for allowing the distribution of these letters. Prime Minister Ardern subsequently announced that the Government would explore amending the Corrections Act 2004 to further restrict what mail can be received and sent by prisoners.

Guilty plea and sentencing arrangements

On 26 March 2020, Tarrant appeared at the Christchurch High Court via audio-visual link from Auckland Prison. During the appearance, he pleaded guilty to all 92 charges. Due to the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the general public was barred from the hearing. Reporters and representatives for the Al Noor and Linwood mosques were present in the courtroom. According to media reports, Tarrant's lawyers had informed the courts that their client was considering changing his plea. On 25 March, Tarrant issued his lawyers with formal written instructions confirming that he wanted to change his pleas to guilty. In response, court authorities began making arrangements for the case to be called as soon as possible in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. The judge convicted Tarrant on all charges and remanded him in custody to await sentencing.

On 10 July, the government announced that overseas-based victims of the shootings would receive border exemptions and financial help to fly to New Zealand for the sentencing. On 13 July, it was reported that Tarrant had dismissed his lawyers and would be representing himself during sentencing proceedings.

Sentencing

Armed police outside Christchurch courthouse during Tarrant's sentencing

Main article: The Queen v Brenton Harrison Tarrant

Sentencing began on 24 August 2020 before Justice Cameron Mander at the Christchurch High Court, and it was televised. Tarrant did not oppose the sentence proposed and declined to address the court. The Crown prosecutors demonstrated to the court how Tarrant had meticulously planned the two shootings and more attacks, while numerous survivors and their relatives gave victim impact statements, which were covered by national and international media. Tarrant was then sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for each of the 51 murders, and life imprisonment for engaging in a terrorist act and 40 attempted murders. The sentence is New Zealand's first terrorism conviction. It was also the first time that life imprisonment without parole, the maximum sentence available in New Zealand, had been imposed. Mander said Tarrant's crimes were "so wicked that even if you are detained until you die, it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation."

Following the sentencing, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters called for Tarrant to serve his sentence in Australia to avoid New Zealand having to pay the costs for his life imprisonment. The cost of housing Tarrant in prison was estimated at Template:NZD4,930 per day, compared to an average cost of $338 per sentenced prisoner per day. Peters's remarks were also motivated by Australia's policy of deporting New Zealand citizens who had committed crimes or breached character requirements. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there was no legal basis for the proposal and that respecting the wishes of his victims and their relatives was paramount. Justice Minister Andrew Little said Parliament would need to pass a law to deport Tarrant to Australia. University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said it was "legally impossible" to deport Tarrant to Australia to serve his sentence. On 28 August, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton advised that, while no formal request had been made by the New Zealand Government to repatriate Tarrant to Australia and for him to serve his life sentence in an Australian correctional facility, the Australian Government was open to considering a request.

Victims

Deaths by citizenship

Citizenship	Deaths
New Zealand	27
Pakistan	8
India	5
Bangladesh	3
Fiji	2
Indonesia	1
Jordan	1
Malaysia	1
Mauritius	1
Palestine	1
Turkey	1
Total	51

Fifty-one people died from the attacks, either at the scene or shortly afterwards: 44 at the Al Noor Mosque and seven at the Linwood Islamic Centre. The dead comprised 43 men, 4 women, and 4 boys. Their ages ranged from 3 to 77 years old. Thirty-five others were injured at the Al Noor Mosque and five at Linwood. Forty-nine others were injured by other causes.

Aftermath

Governmental response

Police advised mosques to close temporarily, and sent officers to secure and patrol various sites in Christchurch. All Air New Zealand Link services departing from Christchurch Airport were cancelled as a precaution, due to the absence of security screening at the regional terminal. Security was increased at Parliament, and public tours of the buildings were cancelled. In Dunedin, the Police Armed Offenders Squad searched a house, later reported to have been rented by Tarrant, and cordoned off part of the surrounding street in Andersons Bay because Tarrant had indicated on social media that he had originally planned to target the Al Huda Mosque in that city.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited members of the Muslim community at the Phillipstown Community Hub in Christchurch the day after the attack.

For the first time in New Zealand history, the terrorism threat level was raised to high. Prime Minister Ardern called the incident an "act of extreme and unprecedented violence" on "one of New Zealand's darkest days". She described it as a "well-planned" terrorist attack and said she would render the person accused of the attacks "nameless" while urging the public to speak the victims' names instead. Ardern directed that flags on public buildings be flown at half-mast.

In May 2019, the NZ Transport Agency offered to replace any vehicle number plates with the prefix "GUN" on request for free.

In mid-October 2019, Ardern awarded bravery awards to the two police officers who apprehended Tarrant, at the annual Police Association Conference in Wellington. Due to the legal proceedings against Tarrant at the time, the two officers had interim name suppression, but in December 2019, this was lifted.

On 1 September 2020, Prime Minister Ardern designated Tarrant as a terrorist entity, thereby freezing his assets and making it a criminal offence for anyone to support him financially.

Media response

For the three months following the shooting, almost 1,000 reports were published in major news outlets in New Zealand. Less than 10% of news reports published by major media outlets mentioned Tarrant's name. Susanna Every-Palmer, an academic psychiatrist, suggested that the media made a moral choice to deny Tarrant exposure and not sensationalise his views, deviating from how similar events internationally were covered in the media. The court required the media to pixelate Tarrant's face when covering the legal proceedings, thus, within New Zealand, he remained largely faceless and nameless. Instead, media coverage focused largely on the victims and their families.

In contrast, the media response in Australia was different, focusing on the extreme violence of the attack, as well as the attacker and his manifesto. For example, The Australian published an audio excerpt containing cries for help, and The Herald Sun wrote dramatic descriptions of victims being shot and used poetic devices to create more vivid imagery. Coverage of the victims was largely focused on physical horrors such as bloodshed, injuries, and graves being dug.

Other responses in New Zealand

Patsy Reddy laying flowers at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on 19 March

Within an hour of the attack, all schools in the city were placed in "lockdown". A ministry report launched after the attacks said schools' handling of the events were varied: some schoolchildren in lockdown still had their mobile phones, and some were able to view the footage of the first attack online, while some schools had children "commando crawl" to the bathroom under teacher supervision. Student climate strikers at the global School strike for the climate rally in Cathedral Square, near the sites of the attacks, were advised by police either to seek refuge in public buildings or go home. The citywide lockdown lasted nearly three hours.

In response to security concerns, the University of Otago postponed its sesquicentennial street parade which had been scheduled for 16 March.

The third test cricket match between New Zealand and Bangladesh, scheduled to commence at Hagley Oval in Hagley Park on 16 March, was likewise cancelled due to security concerns. The Bangladesh team were planning to attend Friday prayer at the Al Noor Mosque and were moments from entering the building when the incident began. The players then fled on foot to Hagley Oval. Two days later, Canterbury withdrew from their match against Wellington in the Plunket Shield cricket tournament. Likewise, the Super Rugby match between the Crusaders, based in Christchurch, and Highlanders, based in Dunedin, due to be played the next day, was cancelled as "a mark of respect for the events". After the attacks, there were renewed calls to rename the Crusaders team, since its name derives from the medieval Crusades against Muslims.

Vigil in Wellington for the victims of the attack

Some pre-arranged music and entertainment events were cancelled in the shooting's wake.

Mosques around the world became the focus of vigils, messages, and floral tributes. The mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, encouraged people to lay flowers outside the city's Botanic Gardens. As a mark of sympathy and solidarity, school pupils and other groups performed haka and waiata to honour those killed in the attacks. Street gangs including the Mongrel Mob, Black Power, and the King Cobras sent members to mosques around the country to help protect them during prayer time.

One week after the attacks, an open-air Friday prayer service was held in Hagley Park. Broadcast nationally on radio and television, it was attended by 20,000 people, including Ardern, who said, "New Zealand mourns with you. We are one." The imam of the Al Noor Mosque thanked New Zealanders for their support and added, "We are broken-hearted but we are not broken." A national remembrance service was held on 29 March, a fortnight after the attacks.

Operation Whakahaumanu

Shortly after the attack, New Zealand Police launched Operation Whakahaumanu. The operation was designed to reassure New Zealanders after the attack and to also investigate possible threats who shared a similar ideology to the gunman. Police increased visibility in streets and visited many schools, businesses, and religious places as part of the operation. In Canterbury alone, there were almost 600 people of interest to police, where hundreds of properties were searched. On 14 July 2020, the Independent Police Conduct Authority deemed three of these searches to be unlawful.

Fundraisers and philanthropy

Vigil in Melbourne, Australia

An online fundraiser on the fundraising website "Givealittle" started to support victims and their families had, as of August 2020, raised over Template:NZD. Counting other fundraisers, a combined total of $8.4 million had been raised for the victims and their families (as of 20 March 2019). Prime Minister Ardern reiterated that those injured or killed in the shootings and their immediate families are covered by the country's accident-compensation scheme, ACC, which offers compensation for lost income and a $10,000 funeral grant, among other benefits.

In late June, it was reported that the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh had raised more than NZ$967,500 (US$650,000) through its New Zealand Islamophobia Attack Fund for the victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings. This amount included $60,000 raised by Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation. These funds were to be donated to the Christchurch Foundation, a registered charity which had been receiving money to support victims of the Christchurch shootings. This philanthropy was inspired by local Muslim support for the Pittsburgh Jewish community following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in late October 2018.

Related arrests and incidents

New Zealand

Police arrested four people on 15 March in relation to the attacks, including a woman and a man, after finding a firearm in a vehicle in which they were travelling together. The woman was released uncharged, but the man was held in custody and was charged with a firearms offence. Additionally, a 30-year-old man said he was arrested when he arrived at Papanui High School to pick up his 13-year-old brother-in-law. He was in camouflage clothing, which he said he habitually wore. He claimed to be seeking compensation for a wrongful arrest, but no formal complaint was filed. The actions were defended by police, who mentioned the threat level after the massacre and that they had to deal with reports possibly related to the attacks. He was later jailed for an unrelated incident.

On 4 March 2020, a 19-year-old Christchurch man was arrested for allegedly making a terror threat against the Al Noor Mosque on an encrypted social media platform Telegram. Media reports subsequently identified the man as Sam Brittenden, a member of the white supremacist group Action Zealandia.

On 4 March 2021, a 27-year-old man was charged with "threatening to kill" after making an online threat against both the Linwood Islamic Centre and the Al Noor Mosque on 4chan. The suspect was granted name suppression and remanded into custody until 19 March.

Outside New Zealand

On 18 March 2019, the Australian Federal Police conducted raids on the homes of Tarrant's sister and mother near Coffs Harbour and Maclean in New South Wales. Police said the raids were carried out to assist New Zealand Police with their investigations into the shootings, adding that Tarrant's sister and mother were assisting the investigation.

On 19 March 2019, an Australian man who had posted on social media praising the shootings was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of a firearm without a licence and four counts of using or possessing a prohibited weapon. He was released on bail on the condition that he stay offline. The man pleaded guilty in Magistrates Court to four counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

A 24-year-old man from Oldham, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, was arrested on 16 March for sending Facebook posts in support of the shootings.

On 20 March, an employee of Transguard, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, was fired by his company and deported for making comments supporting the shootings.

Thomas Bolin, a 22-year-old living in New York, sent Facebook messages praising the shootings and discussing a desire to carry out a similar act in the United States with his cousin. Bolin was later convicted of lying to the FBI for claiming he did not possess any firearms.

Inspired incidents

See also: Christchurch mosque shootings § Copycats and calls for retaliation

Nine days after the attack, a mosque in Escondido, California, was set on fire. Police found graffiti on the mosque's driveway that referenced the shootings, leading them to investigate the fire as a terrorist attack.

According to Sri Lankan State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene, an early inquiry indicated that the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings on 21 April were retaliation for the Christchurch attack. Some analysts believe the attacks were planned before the Christchurch attack, and any linkage was questioned by New Zealand's government—with Prime Minister Ardern saying she was not aware of any intelligence linking the two.

A mass shooting later took place at a synagogue in Poway, California on 27 April 2019, killing a person and injuring three others. The neo-Nazi perpetrator of the shooting, John T. Earnest, also claimed responsibility for the fire and praised the Christchurch shootings in a manifesto. He and Tarrant were said to have been radicalised on 8chan's /pol/ discussion board. He also unsuccessfully attempted to live stream his shooting on Facebook.

On 3 August 2019, Patrick Crusius opened fire and killed 23 people and injured 22 others in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, targeting Mexicans. In a manifesto posted to 8chan's /pol/ board, the suspect expressed support for and inspiration from the Christchurch shootings. Additionally, the alleged shooter described himself as an "eco-fascist".

On 10 August 2019, Philip Manshaus opened fire at a mosque in Bærum, Norway, and unsuccessfully attempted to live stream it on Facebook. He referred to Tarrant as a saint online and posted an image depicting Tarrant, Crusius, and Earnest as "heroes". The attack resulted in one injury. Manshaus was sentenced to 21 years for the attack and for killing his teenage stepsister, who was found dead shortly after the attack.

On 27 January 2021, the Singaporean Internal Security Department reported it had arrested a 16-year-old Indian Protestant youth under the Internal Security Act for plotting to attack the Assyafaah and Yusof Ishak Mosques on the anniversary of the shootings. The youth had produced a manifesto that described Tarrant as a "saint" and praised the shootings as the "justifiable killing of Muslims". Unable to obtain firearms and explosives due to Singapore's strict gun control laws, the youth had instead purchased a machete and vest.

On 6 June 2021, Nathan Veltman drove a truck into a Pakistani Muslim family in Ontario, Canada, killing 4 and injuring another. After his arrest, he cited support for and inspiration from the Christchurch shootings.

On 14 May 2022, white supremacist shooter Payton Gendron killed ten people and injured three others at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo, New York, targeting African Americans. Eleven of the 13 victims shot were Black and two others were White. He livestreamed the attack on Twitch and published a manifesto stating that he was inspired by Tarrant and others including Crusius and Earnest respectively. In response, Acting Chief Censor Rupert Ablett-Hampson placed an interim ban on the circulation of Gendron's manifesto within New Zealand. In addition, the Department of Internal Affairs considered referring Gendron's livestream of the shooting to the Office of Film and Literature Classification.

In Finland on 15 March 2024, on the fifth anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shooting, a Junior sergeant in the Finnish army, Evita Kolmonen, was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting that day at a university in Vaasa. She stated that the world needed "a mass culling" to put an end to "selfish individualism", "human degeneration", global warming and conspicuous consumption. Finnish police described her as ecofascist and stated that she had read books by Friedrich Nietzsche, Pentti Linkola and Ted Kaczynski. She had additionally praised Pekka-Eric Auvinen in internet conversations and had visited the school where Auvinen perpetrated the mass shooting. During the court proceedings, a bomb threat was called against the Court of Appeal of Vaasa hearing her case. Kolmonen was convicted on 15 January 2025 of firearm offense and planning an aggravated crime against life and health and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison.

On 4 March 2025, Western Australia Police arrested a 16-year-old boy in Eaton who allegedly made an online threat against the newly opened Sydney Islamic House mosque. The youth had published a comment under a post on the mosque's Instagram profile referencing the Christchurch mosque shootings, stating "about to christ church [sic] 2.0 this join[t]". The New South Wales Police's Liverpool City Police Area Command also commenced an investigation and confirmed there were no "ongoing threats to the community." Meta Platforms apologised after Instagram initially dismissed the complaint, attributing it to a technical error. The youth was charged with "creating a false impression about the existence of threats or danger." The teenager had also published posts with references to White supremacy and homophobia. He appeared in the Bunbury Children's Court where he accepted full responsibility and was referred to a diversionary programme for countering violent extremism.

Reactions

World leaders

Queen Elizabeth II, New Zealand's head of state, said she was "deeply saddened" by the attacks. Other politicians and world leaders also condemned the attacks, with some attributing them to rising Islamophobia.

The prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, announced that the Pakistani emigrant who charged at Tarrant and died, would be posthumously honoured with a national award for his courage.

The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, showed footage taken by Tarrant to his supporters at campaign rallies for upcoming local elections. The New Zealand and Australian governments, as well as Turkey's main opposition party, criticised his actions.

U.S. president Donald Trump condemned the "horrible massacre". When asked after the attacks if he thought white nationalists were a growing threat around the world, Trump replied, "I don't really. I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. It's certainly a terrible thing."

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad expressed deep regret over the terrorist attack. He said he hoped the New Zealand government would bring the perpetrator to justice.

Far-right

Two New Zealand-based anti-immigration groups, the Dominion Movement and the New Zealand National Front, condemned the attacks, distanced themselves from the perpetrator, and shut their websites down. Some in the broader far-right culture celebrated the attacks and "sanctified" Tarrant as a central figure. Tarrant's manifesto was translated and distributed in more than a dozen different languages with a number of supporters on 8chan making photo and video edits of the shooting. Some extremists were inspired by Tarrant, committing violent incidents and deadly attacks of their own, such as those in Poway, El Paso, and Bærum. The United Kingdom's domestic intelligence service, MI5, launched an inquiry into Tarrant's possible links to the British far-right. The Ukrainian Sich Battalion has urged its members to buy a copy of Tarrant's manifesto, encouraging them to "get inspired" by it.

Islamic groups

Ahmed Bhamji, chair of the largest mosque in New Zealand, spoke at a rally on 23 March in front of one thousand people. He claimed that Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence agency, was behind the attack. The claim has been widely described as an unfounded, antisemitic conspiracy theory. The chairman of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand said that Bhamji's statement did not represent other New Zealand Muslims, but Bhamji defended his statements.

The attack was also condemned by the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Harun Khan, describing it as "the most deadly Islamophobic terrorist attack" observed recently. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on Donald Trump, then U.S. president, to condemn the shootings. Speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C. Nihad Award, executive director of CAIR said: "You should condemn this, not only as a hate crime but as a white supremacist terrorist attack."

People and countries mentioned by Tarrant

Just before carrying out the attacks, Tarrant asked his audience to subscribe to YouTuber PewDiePie's channel in light of his then-ongoing rivalry with Indian channel T-Series. PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, has been accused of using far-right content in his videos. Kjellberg tweeted his condolences in reaction, saying he "felt absolutely sickened" to be mentioned by Tarrant. Kjellberg later called for the "subscribe to PewDiePie" movement to be discontinued, citing the attacks; "to have my name associated with something so unspeakably vile has affected me in more ways than I've let show."

During the attacks, Tarrant played the song "Fire" by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. In a Facebook post, singer Arthur Brown expressed "horror and sadness" at the use of his song during the attacks, and cancelled a planned instore appearance at Waterloo Records shortly after the shootings out of respect for the victims.

In China, internet users expressed outrage and anger at the shooter praising their country's government.

Propaganda and incitement

Livestream

The first shooting, starting from the drive to the Al Noor Mosque and ending on the way to the Linwood Islamic Centre was live-streamed on Facebook Live using Tarrant's head-mounted GoPro camera. The link to the Facebook livestream was first posted on 8chan's /pol/ board, alongside links to the manifesto.

The post included the following,

Well lads, it's time to stop shitposting and time to make a real life effort post. I will carry out and [sic] attack against the invaders, and will even livestream the attack via facebook [sic].

Fewer than 200 people watched the 17-minute livestream live, and none of them made a complaint to Facebook or notified the police. The livestream's perspective mirrored that of a first-person shooter video game, as well as being the first successfully live-streamed far-right terror attack.

Video distribution

Copies of the live-streamed video were reposted on many platforms and file-sharing websites, including Facebook, LiveLeak, and YouTube. Police, Muslim advocacy groups, and government agencies urged anyone who found the footage to take it down or report it. The New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification quickly classified the video as "objectionable", making it a criminal offence in the country to distribute, copy, or exhibit the video, with potential penalties of up to 14 years' imprisonment for an individual, or up to $100,000 in fines for a corporation.

Stuart Bender of Curtin University in Perth noted that the use of live video as an integral part of the attacks "makes [them] a form of 'performance crime' where the act of video recording and/or streaming the violence by the perpetrator is a central component of the violence itself, rather than being incidental."

Arrests and prosecutions

At least eight people in New Zealand have been arrested for possessing or sharing the video or manifesto; most of their names have been suppressed either to prevent threats against them or in support of freedom of expression online. The first was an 18-year-old man who was arrested and charged with inciting racial disharmony under the Human Rights Act on the same day as the shooting. Early news media reports identified him as an accomplice to the shooting, but the police have denied this.

On 20 March 2019, Philip Arps was indicted for sharing the video under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, he subsequently pleaded guilty to the charges. In June 2019, he was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment and was released in January 2020, under the condition of him wearing a GPS electronic monitor. Arps had also expressed neo-Nazi views and sent letters advocating violence against New Zealand politicians. On 26 February 2020, another Christchurch man was jailed for nearly two years for doctoring footage of the shootings upon Arps' request, two days after the attacks.

Conspiracy theorist Richard Sivell faced trial for possession of the video on 30 October 2024. His first appearance on this matter was at Taupō District Court in August 2024, when he refused to enter a plea. In between these hearings, a separate case saw Sivell convicted of threatening to kill then–Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in 2021-22.

Media outlets

Several media organisations in Australia and tabloid news websites in the UK broadcast parts of the video, up to the point Tarrant entered the building, despite pleas from the New Zealand Police not to show it. Sky Television New Zealand temporarily stopped its syndication of Sky News Australia after that network showed the footage, and said it was working with Sky News Australia to prevent further displays of the video. At least three Internet service providers in New Zealand blocked access to 8chan and other sites related to the attacks; and they temporarily blocked other sites hosting the video such as 4chan, LiveLeak, and Mega until they comply with requests to take down copies of the video. The administrator of the online message board Kiwi Farms refused a New Zealand Police request for the data of users who made posts related to Tarrant and the attack.

Social media companies

Various social media sites—including Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and Twitter—said they were working to remove the video from their platforms, and would also remove content posted in support of the attacks. According to Facebook, no complaints were made about the video until 12 minutes after the live-stream ended; the original video from Tarrant himself had been viewed fewer than 200 times before Facebook was notified of its content, and it had been viewed only 4,000 times before it was removed, which happened within minutes of notification. Facebook created a digital hash fingerprint to detect further uploads after the video had been propagated on other sites. The company said it had blocked 1.5 million uploads of the video. Reddit banned "subreddits" named "WatchPeopleDie" and "Gore" for glorifying violence. Microsoft proposed the establishment of industry-wide standards that would flag such content quickly, and a joint project to manage and control the spread of such information via social media.

Despite the networks' attempts to self-police, New Zealand officials and other world leaders have asked them to take responsibility for extremist content posted on their services. Australia introduced legislation that would fine content providers and potentially imprison their executives if they do not remove violent imagery of these types of attacks. The French Council of the Muslim Faith filed a lawsuit against Facebook and YouTube, accusing the companies of "broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism, or of a nature likely to seriously violate human dignity and liable to be seen by a minor". Facebook has contested the lawsuit, saying, "Acts of terror and hate speech have no place on Facebook, and our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the entire community affected by this tragedy. We have taken many steps to remove this video from our platform, we are cooperating with the authorities".

On 15 May 2019, Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron co-hosted the Christchurch Call summit in Paris, which called for major technology companies to step up their efforts to combat violent extremism. The initiative had 53 state signatories and signatories representing eight large tech companies.

Copycats and calls for retaliation

Further information on mainstream Islamic views on the Islamic State movement: Letter to Baghdadi

See also: Social media use by the Islamic State, Mass media use by the Islamic State, and Terrorgram

The attack was used by both far-right terrorists and Islamic State to call for attacks on either side of a war between Islam and the Western world. The attack featured in Islamic State propaganda with Abu Hassan al-Muhajir calling for attacks on the “nations of the Cross and the apostate” in retaliation for the attack.

In January 2021, Singaporean security services report the arrest of a youth who was planning a copycat attack on the anniversary of the 15 March 2019 attack. He had watched videos of theַ shooting spree, read the Australian terrorist's manifesto, and also watched Islamic State propaganda. The arrested youth "came to the erroneous conclusion that ISIS represented Islam, and that Islam called on its followers to kill non-believers".

Legacy

Gun laws

For broader coverage of this topic, see Gun law in New Zealand.

Gun laws in New Zealand came under scrutiny in the aftermath, specifically the legality of military-style semi-automatic rifles. In 2018, it was reported that of the estimated 1.5 million firearms in New Zealand, 15,000 were registered military style semi-automatic weapons as well as at least 50,000 unregistered A-Category semi-automatics. As Philip Alpers of GunPolicy.org noted, "New Zealand is almost alone with the United States in not registering 96 percent of its firearms ... one can assume that the ease of obtaining these firearms may have been a factor in his decision to commit the crime in Christchurch." Cabinet considered creating a firearms register.

On the day of the attack, Ardern announced that gun laws would change. On 21 March, Ardern announced a ban on semi-automatic weapons. As an interim measure, the government reclassified some semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, requiring police approval to buy them. The Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019 was introduced in the House of Representatives on 1 April 2019 and passed its final reading on 10 April, and became law shortly afterwards. All legally obtained semiautomatic and military-grade firearms and their relevant ammunition were able to be handed over to police in a buy-back scheme. The scheme was initiated in July 2019, and lasted six months. As at 21 December 2019, 33,619 hand-ins had been completed, 56,250 firearms had been collected, 2,717 firearms had been modified, and 194,245 parts had been collected. Police Minister Stuart Nash hailed the buy-back scheme as a success. In contrast, a spokeswoman for the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, said the buyback had been a failure, claiming that there were 170,000 prohibited guns in New Zealand, so "50,000 was not a number to boast about".

Royal commission of inquiry

On 24 May 2019, the cabinet announced it would take the form of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, which was stated soon after and chaired by justice Sir William Young of the Supreme Court. On 26 November 2020, the Royal Commission presented report to the government. and soon after made public. It made 44 recommendations, including the establishment of a new national intelligence agency specialising in counterterrorism strategies all of which the government agreed to implement. The inquiry was criticised by some Islamic community groups, such as the Islamic Women's Council, for not going far enough in its criticisms of government and police organisations. In August 2024, the government confirmed it would implement 36 of the 44 Royal Commission's recommendations.

He Whenua Taurikura Research Centre

Following the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 terrorist attack, the New Zealand Government set up a research centre, called He Whenua Taurikura, in Wellington to look into violent extremism. From 2022, the centre had been run through a trust and was known as the "Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism". Funding for the trust was withdrawn in stages in 2024, a step criticised by the trustees and by other interested parties. Prior to the final funding cut announcement in 2024, critics of the centre had disparaged its research, claiming it "lacked researchers experienced enough in the field."

Coroner's inquiry

Governor-General Patsy Reddy (centre) receiving the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry from Young and commissioner Jacqui Caine at Government House, Wellington, on 26 November 2020.

In October 2023, the Coroner's inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings began. It was a coronial inquiry into the mosque shootings. It followed criminal proceedings and the start of a Royal Commission of Inquiry. The coronial report identified 12 issues to be examined at the hearing. It covered many aspects of the shootings and the response given.

Film and media

In May 2019, a proposed movie entitled Hello Brother, based on the shootings, was dropped. It had been criticised for failing to consult the local Muslim community. In August 2021, the film was put on hold.

Widows of Shuhada (widows of martyrs) was the name of a Radio New Zealand (RNZ) documentary series about the widows of four men who were killed in the attack.

In June 2021, funds for a film called They are Us began being sought. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister clarified that Ardern and the New Zealand government had no involvement with the film. It was also felt casting an Australian as Ardern was questionable; while this was not an emphasised issue it was seen as emblematic of the foreign, not local, desire to make the film. Several representatives of the New Zealand Muslim community also questioned the timing and appropriateness of the film. A draft script was then leaked in July 2021 and was criticised by politicians. Later that month the production had been put on hold until the producers had undertaken a full consultation with the country's Muslim community.

Awards

On 6 July 2022, Governor-General Cindy Kiro awarded the New Zealand Cross to Linwood Mosque survivor Abdul Aziz and the late Naeem Rashid for confronting Tarrant. In addition, Kiro awarded the New Zealand Bravery Decoration to Senior Constables Scott Carmody and Jim Manning for apprehending the terrorist; and Liam Beale and Wayne Maley for helping survivors of the Al Noor mosque. In addition, Lance Bradford, Mike Robinson and Mark Miller (the latter posthumously) received the New Zealand Bravery Medal for helping victims of the mosque shootings.

See also

• Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
• Bayonne mosque shooting
• Far-right terrorism in Australia
• Halle synagogue shooting
• List of massacres in New Zealand
• List of rampage killers (religious, political, or ethnic crimes)

Further reading

• Ahmed, Farid (2021). Husna's Story: My Wife, the Christchurch Massacre & My Journey to Forgiveness. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1988547480.
• Salama, Maysoon (2021). Aya and the Butterfly. Lift Education.
• O'Connor, Tom (2021). Our Darkest Day: The terrorist attack on two mosques, Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. Kirsten Wilson Publishing. ISBN 978-0473589295.

External links

• The last prayer: surviving Christchurch terror attack, a documentary about the mosque shootings by Turkish news channel TRT World
• Information on The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques
• Christchurch terror attack: The day NZ changed forever, a documentary about the shootings by New Zealand media company RNZ