‘NZ GUNMAN HAD PLANNED TO ATTACK A THIRD MOSQUE’

CHRISTCHURCH: The man who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques last year had intended to burn down the mosques after attacking a third one, a prosecutor said in court as his four-day sentencing hearing began on Monday. The gunman, Australian Brenton Tarrant, pleaded guilty in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism. New details about the March 2019 attacks were outlined during the first day of a sentencing hearing at the Christchurch high court. Prosecutors outlined the attacks in a 26-page summary, the first detailed account by authorities about what happened on March 15 last year.