Face to face with the mosque gun terrorist
Families and survivors tell New Zealand court of their horror and loss
THEY spoke of how their loved ones died in front of them, of their lasting grief, and how the images and sounds of one shattering day last year keep returning to them.
Relatives and survivors of New Zealand’s mosque massacres were in court yesterday to confront the murderous fanatic who brought them so much terror and anguish.
But they also told terrorist Brenton Tarrant that he had ‘failed miserably’ in his attempts to break them and many agreed he had only succeeded in uniting them.
Fifty-one worshippers died on March 15 last year after the heavily-armed Tarrant opened fire on men, women and children at two mosques.
At the start of a four-day sentencing hearing, Australian-born Tarrant, 29, listened impassively to the heart-wrenching words of survivors and family members. Some addressed him directly in the Christchurch court, while others gave their victim impact statements through video recordings.
Tarrant, who was wearing shackles, has admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism after storming two mosques in Christchurch. The rampage ended when police stopped him as he drove to a third. Lawyers expect him to be the first person jailed for life without parole in New Zealand.
Prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said: ‘He admitted going into both mosques intending to kill as many people as he could.
‘He further stated the attacks were motivated by his ideological beliefs and he intended to instil fear into those he described as “invaders”, including the Muslim population.’
When he saw three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim clinging to his father’s leg, Tarrant killed him ‘with two precisely aimed shots’, Mr Hawes added. The court was told Tarrant arrived in New Zealand in 2017 and based himself in Dunedin, 220 miles south of Christchurch, where he built up a collection of high-powered firearms and bought more than 7,000 bullets.
On March 15, he drove to Christchurch armed with a range of his weapons on which he had written references to historic battles, figures from the Crusades and more recent terror attacks and symbols.
He had a camera mounted on his helmet to record the attacks and petrol containers ‘to burn down the mosques ’, Mr Hawes said.
Gamal Fouda, the Al Noor mosque imam, told the court he was standing in the pulpit ‘and saw the hate in the eyes of a brainwashed terrorist’ before telling him: ‘Your hatred is unnecessary.’
Dr Maysoon Salama, whose son Atta, 33, was killed, told Tarrant: ‘You thought you could break us, but you failed miserably. We became more determined and united than ever. I cannot forgive you.’
Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times at the Al Noor mosque, said he had played dead. ‘If I had moved, I wouldn’t be here today. Six bullets were removed from my body, three remain.’ Saira Bibi Patel, in a recorded statement, told of her ‘life sentence’ of loneliness after her husband Musa died in her arms, adding: ‘I hate being called a widow, which I do not deserve.’
They were at the second mosque, the Linwood Islamic Centre. Mrs Patel said she beckoned Musa to sit with her ‘so we could die together’, she told the court.
‘I saw blood pouring from his mouth and nose… I realised he had been shot. It was extremely painful to feel so helpless watching your soulmate take his last breath.’
Janna Ezat, whose son Hussein Al-Umari was murdered at Al Noor mosque, told the gunman directly: ‘I decided to forgive you Mr Tarrant because I don’t have hate.’ Tarrant, who is representing himself, nodded before blinking and wiping one of his eyes. It was his only display of emotion.
Hussein’s sister, Aya Al-Umari, told the court: ‘There are no words … to explain what it’s like to go from having lunch with your brother one day to burying him in another.’
Abdiaziz Ali Jama, 44, saw her brother-in-law Muse Awale shot dead. ‘I see the images and I hear the constant sound rata-rata-rata – the sound of the gun shooting – in my head,’ said Mrs Jama.
The court was also told about a worshipper who lost his life but saved others by charging at Tarrant at the Al Noor mosque.
Teacher Naeem Rashid, 50, was shot four times but he managed to force the shooter down on one knee. Tarrant was able to get up and fire again but the distraction ‘allowed a number of other worshippers to escape’, an official statement noted. Tarrant is due to be sentenced on Thursday.
‘A life sentence of loneliness’