Mosque terrorist sent manifesto to PM’s office before attack
Ardern’s office one of about 70 recipients of document minutes before attack
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that it received a copy of a “manifesto” from the alleged Christchurch mosque massacre gunman less than 10 minutes before the attacks began on Friday — along with about 70 others recipients.
Most of the other recipients were media, both domestic and international, a spokesman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said — although the New Zealand Herald was not listed among the recipients.
It had been framed as though events had occurred, he said.
“The mail was setting his reasons for doing it. He didn’t say this is what I am about to do. There was no opportunity to stop it.”
The email had gone to Ardern’s generic address.
Other politicians on the mailing list were National leader Simon Bridges and Speaker Trevor Mallard.
Ardern would not be releasing its contents, the time it was received or even what was in the subject line.
“It does not set out what he was about to do. It was written as if it had occurred, to explain what obviously was about to play out.”
Ardern last night flew back to Wellington from Christchurch and is expected to make a statement today.
The alleged gunman appeared to have been a lone wolf, say police who are piecing together New Zealand’s worst act of terrorism.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian national, smirked and flashed a White Power sign as he appeared manacled and barefoot in court yesterday.
He has been charged with murdering a man during Friday’s busy prayers.
Police say more charges are likely. A total of 49 people are confirmed dead. Health officials say 39 people remain in hospital, with 11 critical in intensive care. The youngest victim is 2. One child, 4, has been transferred to Starship children’s hospital in Auckland.
Police allege Tarrant travelled between the Al Noor Mosque beside Hagley Park in central Christchurch and Linwood Mosque some 5km away within seven minutes.
After just 36 minutes dozens were dead and injured.
Tarrant was caught on Brougham St, dragged from a car by two police officers, and taken into custody.
Two others arrested during the chaos of the shooting aftermath have not yet been charged.
Tarrant had allegedly been living in Dunedin for two years, spending much of his time travelling overseas. He was not on any watch lists in New Zealand or Australia.
There was a large police presence at his Dunedin address yesterday, with bomb experts having scoured the property.
Police said five guns were used in the attacks, with two semi-automatic weapons, two shotguns, and a lever action firearm recovered from the scenes.
Ardern said Tarrant acquired a gun licence in November 2017.
She also confirmed that Tarrant had travelled the world with “sporadic periods of time spent in New Zealand”.
Many tales of survival and missing loved ones, feared dead, are starting to emerge.
John Milne fought back tears telling how his “brave little soldier” son, 14-year-old Sayyad Milne, died at Al Noor Mosque.
The Year 10 Cashmere High School student was at the mosque he attended with his mother and friends every Friday.
“I’ve lost my little boy,” his father said.
“[I’m] keeping it together and tears are helping. People are helping. Just by being here, it is helping.
“I remember him as my baby who I nearly lost when he was born. Such a struggle he’s had throughout all his life.
“A brave little soldier. It’s so hard . . . to see him just gunned down by someone who didn’t care about anyone or anything.”
Al Noor elder Haji Daoud Nabi, a 71-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, died in what his sons describe as a “cowardly act”.
“It’s outrageous to me. Forty-nine people got killed — kids and grownups shot in the back while praying. It is a cowardly act,” son Omar said.
Kids and grown-ups shot in the back while praying. It is a cowardly act. Omar, son of victim Haji Daoud Nabi
The killers of Muslims at prayer in Christchurch on Friday have achieved exactly the opposite of their sick intentions. They have united New Zealanders in horror and anguish that such a thing could happen to any people in this country.
In that anguish there comes a deep and lasting realisation that our Muslim community are very much a part of who we are. Their grief is shared by any decent human being. We embrace them as fellow New Zealanders.
As the Prime Minister put it so well, “They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us.”
That of course is not the message these killers want to deliver. Only one person has been charged after the massacres but if the shooter acted alone, he is sadly not alone in his hate.
The footage on social media is said to have found some supporters in the world, hopefully not here. NZ has been blessedly free of the hatred generated by a few irresponsible voices on the far right of politics in response to terrorism in the name of Islam.
Anyone who has been inclined to blame all Muslims for the murderous acts of a few knows now how the vast majority feel. To blame them or their religion is as absurd as it would be to blame New Zealand for this crime.
Hate does not prosper here. Those who harbour an ugly dislike of different races, religions and cultures, live on the margins of public acceptance, not given newspaper space, left to roam the internet for sites that reflect their prejudices.
If their attitudes have been politely avoided rather than confronted here, they are more likely to be confronted now. The events of March 15, 2019, will ring loud in NZ’s memory forever.
We now know, if we did not before, how deadly hatred can be.
The haters have made an impact but not the one they wanted. They have discredited their resentment of immigrant cultures and brought us closer to the Muslims in our midst.
That is no consolation to the families of the 49, probably more, who have died. But their loss will never be forgotten because we share it. This has become their country too.