Christchurch, Mar 16: The wounded tried to crawl away or lie still, while others ran or crouched behind the dead, but the gunman kept pulling the trigger. He shot fleeing women and girls, and pumped bullet after bullet into piles of motionless men and boys in a house of worship.
The man accused of carrying out the worst mass murder in New Zealand’s modern history, one that left 49 people dead and more than 40 others wounded at two mosques in Christchurch, was identified in court documents Saturday as Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28. The suspect, who officials said is an Australian citizen, was charged with one count of murder, and more were expected to come.
Three other people were detained by the police, although one was released hours later. An 18-year-old local man was charged with “intent to excite hostility or ill-will,” but court officials would not elaborate.
The horror was designed specifically for an era that has married social media and racism — a massacre apparently motivated by white extremist hatred, streamed live on Facebook and calculated to go viral.
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The shooting represented a staggering corruption of a form of communication, used innocently by millions, that promised to draw people together but has also helped pry them apart into warring camps. It also shattered a veneer of civility and security in one of the safest and most highly developed countries in the world.
A man at the door to Al Noor mosque on Deans Avenue called out “hello, brother,” just before the approaching killer opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. Seconds later, a wounded man, trying to crawl away, was shot again at point-blank range. Within moments, terror and chaos gripped the people gathered at the mosque for Friday prayers, as they ran, screamed and tried to climb the walls around the building.
The Facebook video, shot from the killer’s helmet-mounted camera, and a 74-page statement that authorities said was written by the gunman, point to an array of possible role models, from racist mass murderers to Oswald Mosley, the 20th-century British fascist.
US President Donald Trump on Friday described the attack as “a horrible disgraceful thing, horrible act.” But when asked if he saw white nationalism as a rising threat around the world, he said: “I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess.”
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said Saturday that five firearms, including two semi-automatic weapons, were used in the attacks. New Zealand has fairly lax gun laws, but little gun violence.
“Our gun laws will change; now is the time,” Ardern said.
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