Terror arrest shocks rifle club
Accused gunman practised shooting his AR-15 at South Otago range; he kept to himself, say his Dunedin neighbours
ASouth Otago rifle club is in shock after discovering a member who practised shooting an AR-15 at its range is the man accused of the Christchurch terror attack.
The accused gunman, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, has lived in Dunedin since at least 2017 and was described by residents as quiet and someone who liked to talk about his travels.
Bruce Rifle Club vice-president Scott Williams confirmed Tarrant was a member of the Milburn club and practised shooting at its range.
Tarrant, 28, seemed “as normal as anyone else” and had “certainly” never mentioned anything about his beliefs about Muslims.
The club, which had just over 100 members, was in shock, he said.
Tarrant joined the club in early 2018. “He was always there helping out with any work that was needed around the club or when it came to set up or pack down the range.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday confirmed Tarrant, believed to be “the primary perpetrator”, was a Dunedin resident.
“This individual has travelled around the world, with sporadic periods of time spent in New Zealand,” Ardern said. He obtained a gun licence here in November 2017, and purchased the weapons in December. Tarrant is an Australian citizen. Bulgarian officials are investigating a trip by Tarrant to eastern Europe four months ago.
Sources in Bulgaria have told the Herald that while watching the dramatic coverage from New Zealand, they noticed Cyrillic script and eastern European inscriptions on the automatic rifle magazines found at shooting scenes. They included the names of famous battles and figures who fought against Ottoman rule.
Victims with Turkish heritage were among the 49 killed in Friday’s massacre.
Prosecutor-General Sotir Tsatsarov told Bulgarian media that Tarrant had been in Bulgaria between November 9 and 15 last year.
From there Tarrant had flown to Bucharest, where he rented a car and went on to Hungary, the Sofia Globe reported.
Tarrant, whose address was given as Andersons Bay in Dunedin, made an appearance from custody yesterday at Christchurch District Court.
He was charged with murder but more charges will follow, said police. He was remanded in custody without plea to the High Court in Christchurch on April 5.
Police yesterday investigated a “location of interest” in Dunedin’s Somerville St in connection to the attack.
A neighbour who had been living in the street for about two years said Tarrant had been there the whole time. She said he kept to himself, and saw him around the neighbourhood and going for runs.
A person who worked at a South Dunedin gym said he had been a member since October 2017. Tarrant liked to talk about his travels and was often overseas, including a recent trip over the Christmas break, the person said.
It was not known if he lived alone in the Somerville St property.
Ardern said Tarrant carried a category A gun licence and was “able to legally acquire the guns he bought.”
Ardern said the fact he got a gun licence raised questions. “While the nation grapples with a form of anger and grief we have not experienced before, we are seeking answers,” she said. — Additional reporting
Otago Daily Times
Tarrant seemed as normal as anyone else and never mentioned his beliefs about Muslims.