Christchurch shooting: Gunman Tarrant wanted to kill 'as many as possible
- by Lorene Schwartz
- in People
- — Aug 25, 2020
Tarrant has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism after storming into two mosques in Christchurch, with the rampage ending when police stopped him as he traveled to a third.
He declared his political and anti-Islamic views as his motivations, which could possibly make him the first offender in New Zealand to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand a year ago watched without emotion on Monday as relatives of his victims recounted the horror of a massacre which prosecutors said he carefully planned to cause maximum carnage.
During the four-day sentencing hearing at the Christchurch High Court, Judge Cameron Mander will hear statements from 66 survivors of the attack.
Tarrant also expressed regret for not taking more lives and had planned to burn the mosques down, Hawes said.
"He stated that he wanted to have shot more people than he did and was on the way to another mosque in Ashburton to carry out another attack when he was stopped", he said.
Hawes said the gunman planned his attacks for when the maximum number of worshippers were present, and that 190 people were in the Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers on the day of the attacks.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was important for the Christchurch victims to be heard.
Held amid tight security with snipers positioned on downtown rooftops, the hearing was told how on March 15 past year the heavily armed Tarrant opened fire on men, women and children, ignoring pleas for help and driving over one body as he moved from one mosque to the next. He looked directly at individuals providing victim impact statements and remained emotionless. Tarrant, who is representing himself, will be allowed to speak before sentencing.
He said the world saw New Zealand as a "a model of compassion, love and harmony" while the Tarrant was seen as a criminal.
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"Damage was done, and Hussein will never be here, so I have only one choice, to forgive you".
"We are a peaceful and loving community who did not deserve your actions", Fouda said.
"He meant to instil fear into those he described as invaders, including the Muslim population or more generally non-European immigrants".
"He admitted going into both mosques intending to kill as many people as he could", Hawes said.
In the months leading up to the attack, Tarrant scouted the mosques by a drone overhead and marked down the entrances and exits.
Security is tight outside the court, with police dogs pacing the streets and snipers on rooftops, television footage showed.
Due to social-distancing measures put in place following a resurgence of the coronavirus in New Zealand, many survivors, family members and media watched the hearing remotely, either in overflow courtrooms or from overseas via video conferencing.
A murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
He faces life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 17 years.
