New Zealand victims confront killer
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The gunman who attacked worshippers at two New Zealand mosques last year, killing 51 people and injuring 49, faced his surviving victims and relatives of the deceased in a courtroom on Monday as harrowing new details of the killing spree emerged.
A judge this week is determining the sentence for Brenton Tarrant, who pleaded guilty in March to dozens of counts of murder and attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act in connection with the March 15, 2019, massacres at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch. The 29-yearold Australian had posted white-supremacist views online and live-streamed the slaughter on Facebook.
The attacks — the worst act of violence in New Zealand’s modern history — shocked a nation accustomed to low crime rates and little history of terrorist activity, and spurred Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to tighten gun laws.
As the hearing began Monday under social distancing restrictions and with police snipers positioned on the court’s roof, prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said that Tarrant had studied the mosques’ layouts and exit routes to maximize casualties, and contacted his family about his planned deeds shortly before he began his assault.
Tarrant sat impassively in the dock, his head often bowed, as details of his crimes were read out. He glanced occasionally around the courtroom but showed little reaction as survivors relived the horror.
“The gunman and I looked into each other’s eyes . ... I was shot nine times,” said Temel Atacocugu, looking at Tarrant as he recounted the carnage at the Al Noor Mosque.
“I laid under bodies in the mosque, thinking I was going to die,” he said.
Tarrant carried six weapons with him for the assault, including rifles and semiautomatic shotguns.
The youngest victim of Tarrant’s rampage was just 3 years old.
Previously unreported details came to light Monday, including information from Tarrant’s interview with the police after his arrest in which he described his actions as terrorist attacks motivated by his ideological beliefs. Prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said Tarrant had told investigators that he wished he had killed more people and that he intended to use incendiary devices found in his car to burn down the mosques following the massacre.
Earlier, Judge Cameron Mander began by noting that many of the victims’ relatives had been unable to attend the hearing at the Christchurch High Court due to coronavirus restrictions, acknowledging this had contributed to their stress. He also outlined restrictions on reporting for those registered to view proceedings either in person, in overflow courts, or remotely through a livestream.
Tarrant, who changed his initial plea to guilty earlier this year, faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without parole.
The judge is expected to hand down the sentence by Thursday.