Gunman opens fire in New Zealand Mosques

A gunman opened fire at both the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, leaving 50 victims dead and over 40 others wounded.  

Three suspects are in custody and the primary suspect, 28-year-old Australian citizen and licensed gun holder Brenton Tarrant, has been charged with murder. A further hearing is scheduled for April 5.

In an almost 17 minute video of the attacks streamed over Facebook via the shooter’s helmet-cam, the gunman drove to the Al Noor Mosque while listening to Serbian nationalistic songs before commencing his six-minute attack.

After beginning his attack outside the mosque, the shooter entered and continued his massacre before exiting to rearm himself, only to return once more.

Although the live stream ended while the shooter was driving away, a second attack then occurred at the nearby Linwood Islamic Centre. After multiple people had been shot, the shooter was chased away by Abdul Aziz, a frequent at the mosque.

Police eventually forced the shooter’s vehicle off the road and apprehended him.

In the attack, the primary suspect used two semi-automatic rifles, two shotguns and one lever-action rifle. His weapons were decorated with writing that named events and people related to conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims. Some are concerned that the suspected shooter was able to purchase guns legally.

“While work is being done as to the chain of events that lead to both the holding of this gun license and the possession of these weapons, I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

Shortly before the attacks began, a 73-page (or more, depending on the file) manifesto titled “The Great Replacement” was posted on Twitter and 8chan, an anonymous messaging board, under Tarrant’s name.  

Although the manifesto itself is unsigned, its author–who claims to be a fascist of the same age and nationality as Tarrant–wrote about his political views and motivation for the attack, which mainly revolved around his belief that nations should be separated by race and ethnicity, calling New Zealand Muslims “invaders.”

Additionally, the author hoped that his actions and usage of firearms specifically would spark a civil war in the U.S. due to the country’s split political parties.

The U.N. Security Council, President Donald Trump and many other national leaders around the world have all condemned the attack.

“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019, which resulted in at least 49 killed and many wounded,” the Security Council said in a statement.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Matthew Rabinowitz of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School