New Zealand mosque massacre suspect Brenton Tarrant flashes ‘white power’ sign in court, as PM Jacinda Ardern vows ‘gun laws will change’
- Brenton Tarrant legally bought two semi-automatic rifles, two shotguns and a lever-action rifle that were used in the attack that killed 49 Muslim worshippers
- PM Jacinda Ardern said the weapons were bought in 2017, suggested gun law changes could include a ban on semi-automatic weapons
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Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the man accused of killing 49 people in two New Zealand mosques, flashed an apparent “white power” gesture on Saturday as he faced court over a massacre which prompted New Zealand’s prime minister to vow to toughen the country’s gun laws.
Jacinda Ardern said the suspected gunman, a 28-year-old Australian, obtained a “Category A” gun licence in November 2017 and began buying the five weapons used in Friday’s attacks in the southern city of Christchurch the following month.
Tarrant appeared briefly in a Christchurch court on Saturday.
Two armed guards took Tarrant into the district court. He showed no expression as Judge Paul Kellar read a single charge of murder to him.
The court appearance only lasted about a minute and he was led back out in handcuffs. He was ordered to return to court again on April 5.
Tarrant used his right hand to flash an inverted “OK” symbol, a gesture sometimes associated with support for white power.
After Tarrant left, the judge said “there is one charge of murder brought at the moment, [but] it is reasonable to assume that there will be others”.
Two others were also implicated in the crimes, including 18-year-old Daniel John Burrough, who was charged with inciting racial hostility or ill-will. The second accomplice was not identified.
Armed police were deployed at several locations in major New Zealand cities, unusual in a country where gun violence is rare.
Ardern’s comments on guns came as the world reacted with horror to the killings.
The gunman identified himself on social media as “Brenton Tarrant”, and people who know a man by that name identified him as the gunman seen in a video of the killings. He expressed his far-right political views in a lengthy manifesto he posted online.
The man once worked as a personal trainer in the rural Australian town of Grafton.
The firearms included two semi-automatic rifles, two shotguns and a lever-action rifle, Ardern said, speaking to reporters in Wellington before heading to Christchurch.
“The mere fact … this individual had acquired a gun licence and acquired weapons of that range, then obviously I think people will be seeking change, and I’m committing to that,” she said.
Mosque shooter ‘Brenton Tarrant’ painted guns with white supremacist icons
“While work is being done as to the chain of events that led to both the holding of this gun licence, and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now – our gun laws will change.”
Ardern noted several earlier attempts to reform the laws. She said options to consider would include a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
New Zealand terrorist attack leaves 49 dead, more than 40 injured
She also confirmed that Tarrant and two suspected associates who were also arrested had not been on the radar of any intelligence agencies, even though he published a manifesto online about plans to attack Muslims.
A fourth man wielding a firearm was arrested on the scene, but authorities later released him, saying he wanted to help police.
“They were not on any watch lists either here or in Australia. The individual charged with murder had not come to the attention of the intelligence community, nor the police, for extremism.” Ardern said.
“I have asked our agencies this morning to work swiftly on assessing whether there was any activity on social media or otherwise, that should have triggered a response. That work is already underway.
New Zealand’s Muslims left shaken and fearful after mosque shootings leave 49 dead
“Given global indicators around far-right extremism, our intelligence community has been stepping up their investigations in this area.”
New Zealand tightened its gun laws to restrict access to semi-automatic rifles in 1992, two years after a mentally disturbed man shot dead 13 people in the South Island town of Aramoana.
However, anyone over 16 can apply for a standard firearms licence after doing a safety course, which allows them to buy and use a shotgun unsupervised.
Regular police in New Zealand do not carry firearms, relying on special units.
There was a heavy police presence at the hospital where families of the wounded gathered. Funerals were planned on Saturday for some of the victims, several of whom were born overseas.
Among the 42 people wounded, two were in a critical condition, including a four-year-old child.
New Zealand shootings: world reacts with sorrow, solidarity and fury
Meanwhile, the motives of the killer were coming under intense scrutiny. His views are outlined in a racist manifesto. Titled “The Great Replacement”, the 73-page document said the gunman wanted to attack Muslims to incite racial violence and “further divide between the European people and the invaders currently occupying European soil”.
The manifesto said the gunman identified himself as 28-year-old white Australian from a low-income, working-class family.
US President Trump was nonplussed when asked whether the killings were connected to rising far-right extremism around the world.
“I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “If you look what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that’s the case. I don’t know enough about it yet.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press, Reuters, Washington Post
