Western Daily Press (Saturday)
New Zealand terror suspect’s chilling manifesto
A SUSPECT in the New Zealand mosque shootings appears to have described himself as an “ordinary white man” who “decided to take a stand”.
Brenton Tarrant, 28, from Australia, was named in media reports in his home country as the gunman who appeared to have live-streamed the attack in Christchurch on Facebook as he shot victims in a mosque.
In a 74-page manifesto, believed to have been written by Tarrant, he describes anti-immigrant motives, saying the victims were a “large group of invaders” who he says “seek to occupy my peoples lands and ethnically replace my own people (sic)”.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that one of the people taken into custody by New Zealand authorities is an Australian.
The manifesto, posted online, features a series of questions and answers, and opens with one asking: “Who are you?” He adds: “I am just a regular White man, from a regular family. Who decided to take a stand to ensure a future for my people.”
He describes himself as “a private and mostly introverted person” and admits he is racist, adding that he is an “Eco-fascist by nature”.
He said New Zealand was not the original choice for an attack, saying he came to “plan and train.” US regulators have charged Volkswagen and its former chief executive Martin Winterkorn with defrauding investors during its massive diesel emissions scandal.
The charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission come two years after the German motor giant settled with the US over criminal and civil charges, as the company tried to distance itself from one if its darkest eras.
The SEC said Volkswagen issued more than 13 billion dollars (£10 billion) in bonds and asset-backed securities in US markets between April 2014 and May 2015, when senior executives knew that more than 500,000 vehicles in the country grossly exceeded legal vehicle emissions limits.
Volkswagen made false and misleading statements to investors and underwriters about vehicle quality, environmental compliance and the company’s financial standing, which gave VW a financial benefit when it issued securities at more attractive rates for the company, according to the SEC.
In September 2015 VW installed software on more than 475,000 cars that enabled them to cheat on emissions tests, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The software reduced nitrogen oxide emissions when the cars were placed on a test machine.