Buffalo shooter let some people see plans just before attack
Shortly before police say he opened fire, the white gunman accused of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket allowed a small group of people to see his long-simmering plans for the attack, which he had been chronicling for months in a private, online diary.
New Zealand marks 2 years since Christchurch mosque killings
Temel Atacocugu, right, who survived being shot nine times during the attack on the Al Noor mosque, cries as he speaks at a National Remembrance Service, Saturday, March 13, 2021, in Christchurch, New Zealand. The service marks the second anniversary of a shooting massacre in which 51 worshippers were killed at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist. (Kai Schwoerer/Pool via AP)WELLINGTON – New Zealand on Saturday marked the second anniversary of one of its most traumatic days, when 51 worshippers were killed at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist gunman. Several hundred people gathered at the Christchurch Arena for the remembrance service, which was also livestreamed. After the attacks, New Zealand quickly passed new laws banning the deadliest types of semiautomatic weapons.
Report finds lapses ahead of New Zealand mosque attack
Among 44 recommendations, the report released Tuesday says the government should establish a new national intelligence agency. It says that New Zealand’s intelligence agencies were far too focused on the threat posed by Islamic extremism at the expense of other threats including white supremacism. New Zealand currently has one intelligence agency that focuses on domestic threats and one that focuses on international threats. Tarrant told investigators that although he frequented extreme right-wing discussion boards on websites like 4chan and 8chan, he found YouTube a far more significant source of information and inspiration. Despite the shortcomings of various agencies, the report concludes, there was no plausible way Tarrant's plans could have been detected "except by chance.”
New Zealand mosque shooter sentenced to life without parole
Mosque shooting survivors from left, Mustafa Boztas, Wassail Daragmih and Temel Atacocugu celebrate as they leave the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Tarrant, a white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March 2019 was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
New Zealand mosque shooter sentenced to life without parole
Tarrant, a white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques in March 2019 was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the four-day sentencing hearing, 90 survivors and family members recounted the horror of that day and the trauma they continue to feel. One of those who spoke was Temel Atacocugu, who survived being shot nine times during the attack at the Al Noor mosque. A standby lawyer appointed by the court told the judge that Tarrant did not oppose the maximum sentence. The sentencing hearing gave survivors and family members a chance to confront the gunman.
Poetic words bring tears in New Zealand mosque shooting case
Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 29, sits in the dock on day three at the Christchurch High Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism in Christchurch, New Zealand, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. More than 60 survivors and family members will confront the New Zealand mosque gunman this week when he appears in court to be sentenced for his crimes in the worst atrocity in the nation's modern history. (John Kirk-Anderson/Pool Photo via AP)
Poetic words bring tears in New Zealand mosque shooting case
(John Kirk-Anderson/Pool Photo via AP)CHRISTCHURCH The poetic words of love from a daughter to her murdered father brought many people to tears in a New Zealand courtroom Wednesday during the sentencing hearing for the white supremacist who killed 51 worshippers at two mosques. My baba's voice.Qasem spoke on the third day of a four-day sentencing hearing for Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who carried out the attacks during Friday prayers in March 2019. The 29-year-old Australian has pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder, and terrorism. The boy's father said his son loved playing in the mosque and made friends with all the worshippers, young and old. Your atrocity and hatred did not turn out the way you expected, the father said in the statement.
New Zealand mass shooting survivors describe ongoing pain
Mirwais Waziri gestures during the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant at the Christchurch High Court after Tarrant pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. More than 60 survivors and family members will confront the New Zealand mosque gunman this week when he appears in court to be sentenced for his crimes in the worst atrocity in the nation's modern history. (John Kirk-Anderson/Pool Photo via AP)
New Zealand mass shooting survivors describe ongoing pain
More than 60 survivors and family members will confront the New Zealand mosque gunman this week when he appears in court to be sentenced for his crimes in the worst atrocity in the nation's modern history. It was the second day of a four-day sentencing hearing for white supremacist Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who slaughtered 51 worshippers and injured dozens more during the March 2019 attacks. The 29-year-old Australian gunman in March pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder, and terrorism, reversing an earlier not guilty plea. He could become the first person in New Zealand to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the toughest sentence available. He can choose to speak once the survivors have spoken, although the judge will likely shut down any attempts he makes to grandstand.
Court told New Zealand shooter planned to burn down mosques
Twenty-nine-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant stands in the dock at the Christchurch High Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism in Christchurch, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. More than 60 survivors and family members will confront the New Zealand mosque gunman this week when he appears in court to be sentenced for his crimes in the worst atrocity in the nation's modern history. (John Kirk-Anderson/Pool Photo via AP)
Survivors will face New Zealand mosque gunman at sentencing
FILE - In this July 30, 2019, file photo, Aya Al-Umari, whose brother Hussein was killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks, poses, holding a photo of herself and her brother, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Al-Umari is one of more than 60 survivors and family members who this week in court will confront the white supremacist who committed the worst atrocity in New Zealands modern history, when he slaughtered 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019. The four-day sentencing starts on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Nick Perry, File)
New Zealand mosque gunman to represent himself at sentencing
FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file image made from video, Brenton Harrison Tarrant appears in a screen via video link in Christchurch, New Zealand. The man who has admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019 has dismissed his legal team and will represent himself at a sentencing hearing next month. Tarrants sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will begin in Christchurch on Aug. (TVNZ Pool via AP, File)
New Zealand mosque gunman to represent himself at sentencing
WELLINGTON The Australian white supremacist who admitting killing 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques has dismissed his lawyers and will represent himself when he is sentenced next month. His sentencing hearing, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled to begin in Christchurch on Aug. 24 and could last more than three days. The date was confirmed at a High Court session in Christchurch on Monday that was attended by some shooting survivors. They told the court they had been instructed by Tarrant to withdraw as he wishes to exercise his right to represent himself. The attacks targeting people praying at the mosques shocked New Zealand, where new laws were quickly approved banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons.