Christchurch mosque shootings

Christchurch mosque shootings
The Al Noor Mosque in August 2019
The mosques are located in Christchurch, New Zealand
Al Noor Mosque
Al Noor Mosque
Linwood Islamic Centre
Linwood Islamic Centre
Christchurch is located in New Zealand
Christchurch
Christchurch
LocationChristchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Coordinates
Date15 March 2019; 5 years ago (15 March 2019)
1:40 – 1:59 p.m. (NZDT; UTC+13)
TargetMuslims
Attack type
Mass shooting,[1] terrorist attack,[2] shooting spree, mass murder, right-wing terrorism, hate crime
Weapons
Deaths51[a]
Injured89[b]
PerpetratorBrenton Harrison Tarrant
Motive
VerdictPleaded guilty to all charges
Convictions51 counts of murder
40 counts of attempted murder
One count of committing a terrorist act
Sentence52 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 480 years[10]

Two consecutive mass shootings took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 15 March 2019. They were committed by a single perpetrator during Friday prayer, first at the Al Noor Mosque in Riccarton, at 1:40 p.m. and almost immediately afterwards at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 p.m. Altogether, 51 people were killed and 89 others were injured; including 40 by gunfire.[4]

The perpetrator, Brenton Tarrant, was arrested after his vehicle was rammed by a police squad car as he was driving to a third mosque in Ashburton. He live-streamed the first shooting on Facebook, marking the first successfully live-streamed far-right terror attack, and had published a manifesto online before the attack. On 26 March 2020, he pled guilty[11][12] to 51 murders, 40 attempted murders, and engaging in a terrorist act,[13][14] and in August was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole – the first such sentence in New Zealand.[10][15][16]

The attacks were mainly motivated by white nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and white supremacist beliefs. Tarrant described himself as an ecofascist and voiced support for the far-right "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory in the context of a "white genocide", cited Anders Behring Breivik and Dylann Roof as well as several other right-wing terrorists as inspirations within his manifesto, praising Breivik above all.[17]

The attack was linked to an increase in white supremacy and alt-right extremism globally[18][19][20] observed since about 2015.[21][22] Politicians and world leaders condemned it,[23] and then-Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern described it as "one of New Zealand's darkest days".[24] The government established a royal commission into its security agencies in the wake of the shootings, which were the deadliest in modern New Zealand history and the worst ever committed by an Australian national.[25][26][27] The commission submitted its report to the government on 26 November 2020,[28] the details of which were made public on 7 December.[29]

The shooting has inspired multiple copycat attacks,[c] especially due to its live-streamed nature. In response to this incident, the United Nations designated March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

  1. ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge; Sherwood, Harriet; Parveen, Nazia (15 March 2019). "Christchurch attack: suspect had white-supremacist symbols on weapons". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019. A bomb disposal team was called in to dismantle explosive devices found in a stopped car.
  2. ^ "'There Will Be Changes' to Gun Laws, New Zealand Prime Minister Says". The New York Times. 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Mosque attack sentencing: Gunman's plan of terror outlined in court". The New Zealand Herald. 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "2019 - Operation Deans Targeted Terrorist Attacks, Christchurch, 15 March". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  5. ^ Welby, Peter (16 March 2019). "Ranting 'manifesto' exposes the mixed-up mind of a terrorist". Arab News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  6. ^ Achenbach, Joel (18 August 2019). "Two mass killings a world apart share a common theme: 'ecofascism'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020.
  7. ^ Perrigo, Billy. "The New Zealand Attack Exposed How White Supremacy Has Long Flourished Online". Time. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  8. ^ Campbell, Charlie (21 March 2019). "The New Zealand Attacks Show How White Supremacy Went From a Homegrown Issue to a Global Threat". Time. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gilsinan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Ensor, Blair; Sherwood, Sam. "Christchurch mosque attacks: Accused pleads guilty to murder, attempted murder and terrorism". Stuff. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  12. ^ Bayer, Kurt (3 July 2020). "Christchurch mosque shooting: Gunman's sentencing confirmed to start on August 24". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  13. ^ Quinlivan, Mark; McCarron, Heather. "Christchurch shooting: Alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant's trial delayed". Newshub. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference third_appearance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Lourens, Mariné (27 August 2020). "Christchurch mosque gunman jailed 'until his last gasp'". Stuff. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  16. ^ "New Zealand mosque shooter given life in prison for 'wicked' crimes". Reuters. 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  17. ^ Taylor, Adam (15 March 2019). "New Zealand suspect allegedly claimed 'brief contact' with Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ^ "New Zealand terrorism threat environment following the Christchurch attack" (PDF). Combined Threat Assessment Group. 16 April 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  19. ^ Clun, Rachel (18 March 2019). "Christchurch shooting live: questions over alt-right hate monitoring following shooting". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  20. ^ Houston, Cameron; Wright, Shane (17 March 2019). "Alt-right extremists are not being monitored effectively". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  21. ^ "New Zealand Massacre Highlights Global Reach of White Extremism". The New York Times. 17 March 2019. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  22. ^ Observer editorial (17 March 2019). "The Observer view on the Christchurch shootings: we've been too slow to see the far right threat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  23. ^ "World leaders condemn Christchurch mosque terrorism attack". Stuff (company). Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  24. ^ "PM on mosque shooting: 'One of New Zealand's darkest days'". Newstalk ZB. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  25. ^ "Pakistan to honour Christchurch mosque 'hero' with national award". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the country's modern history.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference Royal Commission Announced was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Graham-McLay, Charlotte (27 August 2020). "Christchurch shooting: mosque gunman sentenced to life without parole". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  28. ^ Roy, Eleanor Roy (25 November 2020). "Christchurch attacks: royal commission hands in report on New Zealand mosque shootings". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  29. ^ Perry, Nick (7 December 2020). "Report shows how New Zealand mosque shooter eluded detection". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  30. ^ Hummel, Kristina (18 July 2019). "The Christchurch Attacks: Livestream Terror in the Viral Video Age". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  31. ^ Lakhani, Dr Suraj (10 June 2022). "The Gamification of Violent Extremism: An Empirical Exploration of the Christchurch Attack". GNET. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  32. ^ Konig, Joseph (7 September 2023). "Leaders, experts warn racist Jacksonville shooting not an isolated incident". NY1. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).