Christchurch, New Zealand Mosque Shootings

On 15 Mar 2019, New Zealand witnessed an unprecedented act of terror in two mosques in Christchurch. They were the sites of mass shootings, which are presumed to be an act of Islamophobia.

The death toll is currently at least 50 people ranging from 2 to 71 years old. Forty-one people were killed at Al Noor Mosque, seven at Linwood Mosque and one person passed away in the Christchurch hospital. Dozens more were wounded and are still seeking treatment in hospitals. Many people remain missing to date.

At around 1.40 pm, the gunman opened fire on the worshippers at Al Noor Mosque. Witnesses noted that he was dressed in military-style clothing and a neighbour saw him flee the scene and drop a firearm in the driveway. At 1.41 pm, police received the first emergency call.

Live-stream of the whole incident

The gunman live-streamed the first 17 minutes of the attack on Facebook Live. The video starts with his arrival at the mosque and ends with him fleeing the scene. He appeared to be playing a few songs in the background, including a Serb Nationalist song which celebrates a man found guilty of genocide of Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War. The gunman entered the mosque, indiscriminately shooting at worshippers near the doors and in a room nearby for several minutes. He also approached wounded victims and civilians outside the mosque, firing at them multiple times and effectively killing a great number of people. In this duration, he exited the mosque two times, first to retrieve another weapon from his vehicle and then next to shoot a woman near the footpath of the mosque. He then returned to his car and fled the scene, signalling the end of the video which showed him shooting other civilians near the area and driving away at a high speed.

At 1.55 pm, the gunman opened fire near the Linwood Islamic Centre, killing seven people. He was seen to continue firing at the mosque as he drove away. This terror attack is one of the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, the last one being in 1990, known as the Aramoana massacre.

People who valiantly defended themselves and others against the gunman include the late Pakistani Mr Naeem Rashid and worshipper Mr Abdul Aziz Wahabzadah. Mr Rashid tried to tackle the gunman at Al Noor Mosque but was killed in the process. Before the gunman entered the building, Mr Abdul Aziz valiantly defended himself and many others at Linwood Mosque by running at the gunman to distract him from the people in the mosque. He then threw a credit card reader machine at the retreating gunman, who tried to shoot him with a firearm. Mr Aziz was able to take cover among cars parked in the driveway. He retrieved a shotgun that had been discarded by the gunman and threw it at the gunman’s car, shattering the windshield before the gunman drove away. Other notable mentions include Mr Zulfirman Syah who shielded his son from the gunman, sustaining a few shots himself. Both he and his son are expected to recover soon, as their condition has improved over the last few days.

The police initially apprehended four people, but after further investigation and clarification, only one suspect remains implicated. 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who has been charged with one count of murder, appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Saturday 16 March where he was kept in custody. His case has now been transferred to the High Court where his next appearance is scheduled to be on 5 April 2019.

Aftermath

Currently, the authorities are working towards returning the bodies to their respective families. Many people who are familiar with the Islamic rituals after death have been flown into Christchurch to aid with this procedure and also to ensure no mix-up of bodies occur. All mosques in the country were advised to close down until further notice, along with schools near the crime scene.

The police were criticised by the public for their late response time of six minutes to the crime scene. However, District Commander John Price was “very happy” with the “incredibly fast response time” it took, 36 minutes, to apprehend Tarrant and place him in custody in “a large metropolitan city”.

The police recovered five guns from the scene, purchased by Tarrant which had markings of historical events between the Muslims and European Christians as well as the names of Islamic terror attack victims and perpetrators. They also found two explosive devices attached to his car (defused by the New Zealand Defence Force) but none on the gunman himself.

Further investigation revealed that a manifesto written by Tarrant titled “The Great Replacement” (a reference to the Great Replacement and white genocide conspiracy theories) was emailed to recipients including the Prime Minister’s office and numerous media outlets, and was posted on Twitter and 8chan. The text expresses several anti-immigrant sentiments, Islamophobic views and names terrorists and murderers whose actions he applauds.

Reactions

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as an "act of extreme and unprecedented violence" and "one of New Zealand's darkest days." She also announced that the government would cover funeral costs up to $10,000 for family members of the victims of the shootings. Generally regarded as having handled the mosque attacks well, PM Ardern has become a global inspiration. Condolences and condemnations of the attack have poured in from all over the world, including those of numerous world leaders.

President Halimah Yacob writes, “our thoughts and prayers are with New Zealand during this difficult time”. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, among other Singaporean leaders, also penned letters of condolences. He also wrote “Singapore strongly condemns this vicious and mindless act of terror. This heinous act is an attempt to spread fear and hatred. We must not allow such acts to divide our societies". Mr Lee also said that "On behalf of the Government of Singapore, I would like to convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the victims and the people of New Zealand”.

Gun laws to be changed

In a recent development, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced detailed gun law reforms within days (a ban on all military style semi-automatics and assault rifles in New Zealand), a decision that has been backed up by her cabinet. She believes that this decision will make for a safer community, especially in the aftermath of the shootings.

A valuable lesson learnt from these shootings

Often, the perpetrator seeks attention and notoriety, which is true in the case of the gunman, which should not be granted or encouraged in any way. In the words of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, “He sought many things from his act of terror, but one was notoriety. And that is why you will never hear me mention his name. He will, when I speak, be nameless.”