Suspect travelled through Balkans

Accused shooter had apparent fascination with Bosnian conflict

BELGRADE, SERBIA— The white supremacist suspected in the mosque shootings that left at least 50 people dead in New Zealand had travelled to the Balkans in the past three years, where he toured historic sites and apparently studied battles between Christians and the Ottoman Empire.

Authorities in Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia have confirmed that Brenton Tarrant, 28, had been to their countries between 2016 and 2018.

Hungarian counterterrorism authorities have also suggested that Tarrant had visited but revealed no other information, and local media in Bosnia reported a 2017 trip there.

While the details of Tarrant’s travels are sketchy, authorities in those countries said they are investigating his movements and any contacts he might have had with local people.

During an unprecedented, live-streamed shooting spree Friday in Christchurch, Tarrant exposed his apparent fascination with the religious conflicts in Europe and the Balkans — a volatile region that has been the site of some of Europe’s most violent clashes. Tarrant’s soundtrack as he drove to the Christchurch mosque included a nationalist Serb song from the 1992-95 Bosnian war that tore apart Yugoslavia.

The song glorifies Serbian fighters and former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic — the man who is jailed at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague for genocide and other war crimes against Bosnian Muslims.

Tarrant’s rifles contained the names of legendary Serbs and Montenegrins who fought against the 500-year-rule of the Muslim Ottomans in the Balkans. The names were written in the Cyrillic alphabet used by the two Orthodox Christian nations.

In a 74-page manifesto that he posted on social media, Tarrant said he was a white supremacist who was out to avenge attacks in Europe perpetrated by Muslims.