Police maintained a high-profile presence in Christchurch on Monday as schools and businesses started the working week following the Friday terror attacks on two mosques that left 50 dead.
The suspect charged in the attack, self-avowed white nationalist Brenton Tarrant, remained in custody as investigations continued across multiple countries and New Zealand's government prepared for a Cabinet meeting focused on the attacks.
High security in Christchurch
- New Zealand remained on high security alert Monday.
- Police Commissioner Mike Bush said an extra 200 officers would be on duty in Christchurch, as helicopters flew over the city.
- Residents have returned to schools and officers which had been been locked down for several hours after Friday's attack.
- The airport in Dunedin, where Tarrant had lived, was reopened after a security scare caused by a suspicious object found Sunday evening, which forced its closure.
New charges and ongoing investigation
- On Monday afternoon an 18-year-old man appeared in a Christchurch court, charged with distributing the livestream video of the shooting and allegedly posting a photo of the mosque with the words "target acquired"; however investigators said he was not believed to have been directly involved in the attacks.
- Meanwhile the accused shooter Tarrant said he did not want a lawyer and would represent himself in the case.
- Earlier in the day Australian police announced they searched two homes in New South Wales in order to gather material related to Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian citizen who was from this area.
- Greek officials say they are investigating Tarrant's visits to the country in 2016.
- Authorities in Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Israel and Hungary already announced they are looking into similar visits, on some of which he reportedly studied historic battles between Christians and the Ottoman Empire.
Read more: New Zealand seeks answers from Facebook over livestreamed massacre
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
Germany 2009: Stabbing of woman in Dresden court
Marwa El-Sherbini, a pharmacist who lived with her husband and son in Dresden, was killed in Dresden's district court on July 1, 2009. She was stabbed by a 28-year-old Russian-German man shortly after testifying against him in a verbal abuse case. He'd previously called her a "terrorist" and "Islamist." El-Sherbini is considered to be the first murder victim of an Islamophobic attack in Germany.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
Norway 2011: Mass murderer Breivik carries out terror attacks
Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in two lone-wolf terror attacks on July 22, 2011. He first set off a bomb in the government district in Oslo before killing young people attending a summer camp on the island of Utoya. Prior to the attack, Breivik published a manifesto where he decried multiculturalism and the "Islamization of Europe."
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
USA 2015: Chapel Hill shooting
Three university students — Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha — were shot dead by their 46-year-old neighbor on February 10, 2015. The shooter described himself as an opponent of organized religion and reportedly repeatedly threatened and harassed the victims. The killings sparked outrage online, with millions of tweets using the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
USA 2015: Church massacre in Charleston
On June 17, 2015, a white supremacist opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine African-American worshipers were killed, including a pastor at the church, which is one of the oldest black congregations in the United States. The 21-year-old suspect was convicted of a federal hate crime and sentenced to death.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
Germany 2016: Mass shooting in Munich
A mass shooting at a shopping mall in Munich on July 22, 2016 wounded some 36 people and killed 10 — including the 18-year-old shooter. The perpetrator, a German of Iranian descent, made xenophobic and racist comments and idolized school shooters, according to police. He also suffered from depression, was frequently bullied and wanted to take revenge on people with immigrant backgrounds.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
UK 2017: Attack on Finsbury Park mosque
On June 19, 2017, a 47-year-old man killed one person and wounded another 10 after driving a van into a group of pedestrians near the Finsbury Park mosque in north London. All of the victims were Muslims who were on their way to take part in special night prayers during Ramadan. The perpetrator later stated that he was motivated by a "hatred of Islam" and was sentenced to life in prison.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
USA 2017: Car attack during neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville
One woman was killed and dozens were wounded when a white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017. The counterprotesters had been demonstrating against the Unite the Right rally, a gathering of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
Canada 2017: Attack on mosque in Quebec
A gunman opened fire on worshipers at the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City in late January 2017, killing six people and wounding over a dozen. The shooting took place during evening prayers. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the shooting as "a terrorist attack on Muslims in a center of worship and refuge."
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
USA 2018: Tree of Life Synagogue shooting
On October 27, 2018, a 46-year-old gunman opened fire at a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and wounding seven. He reportedly shouted anti-Semitic slurs during the attack and previously posted conspiracy theories online. It was the deadliest attack on Jewish people in US history.
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
Germany 2019: New Year's attack in Bottrop and Essen
Shortly after midnight as people were out celebrating, a 50-year-old man carried out targeted attacks on immigrants in the western German cities of Bottrop and Essen — injuring eight people, one seriously. He deliberately drove his car at two Syrian and Afghan families who were out celebrating with their children in Bottrop. German authorities said "he had a clear intent to kill foreigners."
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Right-wing extremist terror attacks: A timeline
New Zealand 2019: Twin terror attacks on mosques in Christchurch
At least 50 people were killed and dozens others were injured in twin terror attacks at mosques in Christchurch. Officials called it a "right-wing extremist attack" and the deadliest shooting in New Zealand's history. One of the gunmen livestreamed the attack and posted a racist manifesto online before the attack. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it "one of New Zealand's darkest days."
Author: Rebecca Staudenmaier, Nermin Ismail
Political pressure
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was scheduled to meet with her Cabinet Monday to discuss action to be taken as a result of the terror attack.
- Over the weekend, she had put pressure on social media companies to explain how the shooter was able to livestream the attack for 17 minutes, and how the footage was able to circulate for hours afterward on multiple platforms.
- She also had announced New Zealand would tighten its gun laws.
- The organizers of the country's largest gun show, the Kumeu Militaria Show near Auckland, announced Monday they have canceled the March 23 event out of respect to the Christchurch victims and due to "elevated security risks.
Mourning continues, burials begin
- Dozens of graves were being prepared in a Christchurch cemetery on Monday morning as families continued to wait for the bodies of their dead to be released, which has taken time due to the needs of investigators.
- Many of the victims were foreign nationals, and some of them will be transported abroad for burial.
- Thirty-four individuals remained hospitalized.
Read more: Grief and shock, but 'still home' in Christchurch the day after terror attacks
cmb/se (Europa Press, dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)
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