Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian man, was a gunman in the horrific New Zealand mosque shootings that took place on Friday, March 15. The mass shootings took place at two separate mosques and left dozens dead. Tarrant said that the attacks were inspired by Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, according to The Telegraph.
The shooting was carried out during the Jummah Prayer which is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday.
In the attack — which took place at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, at least 49 people were killed. Part of the attack which took place at Al Noor Mosque was broadcast live.
An additional 20 victims have been injured in the attacks, with a total of four suspects in custody. Tarrant has been charged with murder.
Along with a horrific video that showed the shootings carried out live, Tarrant wrote a 74-page manifesto describing his evil intentions to avenge “thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders.”
Police are warning people on social media about the distressing video which captured 17-minutes of the attack.
“Police are aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online,” New Zealand police said in a Twitter post, via the Times LIVE. “We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. We are working to have any footage removed.”
New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern condemned the shooting as a terrorist attack and called it “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence.”
In the manifesto, Tarrant described himself as an “ordinary white man” who was from a “working class, low-income family.”
Where Did The Shooting Take Place?
Google Maps/New York Times
The shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand near Cathedral Square and Hagley Park. The shootings were carried out in two locations — Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque — with one suspect arrested in between the two locations.