WARNING: contains distressing content
For a year and a-half, a terrorist calmly planned his killing spree then mercilessly executed it in a single afternoon, a court has heard.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant (29) sat silently in the dock of the High Court at Christchurch yesterday as the court heard the chilling details of his crimes.
The Australian-born gunman pleaded guilty unexpectedly in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and a charge under the Terrorism Suppression Act.
Tarrant moved to Dunedin in 2017 and was granted a firearms licence in September of that year.
Within months he began amassing a cache of military-style weapons which he modified to make them more deadly.
He honed his skills at several rifle clubs and researched mosque locations and prayer times online as his deadly plan gathered momentum.
On January 8 last year, Tarrant drove to Christchurch where he flew a drone over Al Noor Mosque, paying close attention to the exits.
It was then that he committed to carrying out attacks there, at the Linwood Islamic Centre and the Ashburton Mosque as he returned south, writing "detailed notes" to that effect, police said.
On March 15 last year, the defendant loaded six firearms into his Subaru along with modified petrol containers, which he planned to use to burn down the targeted mosques, he later revealed to police.
Wearing camouflage clothing and a tactical vest with pockets holding ammunition magazines and a bayonet-style knife, he arrived at Al Noor Mosque.
Tarrant activated a camera attached to his helmet to live-stream the carnage. A speaker on his vest blasted loud music. Before the shooting spree began he emailed his manifesto to various websites and sent messages to his family outlining his instructions on how to deal with media and police in the aftermath.
The horrifying specifics of the slaughter that followed were painstakingly detailed in a 26-page summary of facts read in court for the first time yesterday.
Within seconds of his entry, Tarrant shot dead four men.
Upon hearing the gunshots, worshippers rushed to leave through the only two exits but the killer knew that. He mowed down people as they scrambled for safety.
Faced with certain death, Naeem Rashid took a stand, running at the gunman and taking a bullet to the shoulder while knocking the man off his feet.
However, Tarrant got up and fired three more shots at the victim, killing him.
"Mr Rashid's actions allowed a number of worshippers to escape," the summary said.
By now, many had severe wounds and were crying for help.
The gunman "systematically" executed them, including 3-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim who was clinging to his father's leg.
Tarrant went outside repeatedly and shot people as they fled the premises. Some were killed, some wounded, including a 4-year-old girl who was escaping with her father.
Before he left, there was still time for him to go back into the mosque and methodically murder anyone showing signs of life, the court heard.
Then it was on to Linwood Islamic Centre.
On the way Tarrant fired at a group of men of African descent and aimed a shotgun at a Fijian driver sitting just 3m away. Incredibly, the weapon would not fire and the man was spared.
"During this journey the defendant was talking and laughing about various aspects of what had occurred," court documents said.
After blocking the entrance to the second mosque with his car, the gunman recommenced the massacre.
As he returned to the vehicle to reload, Abdul Aziz Wahabazadah pursued him, "screaming".
He took cover as Tarrant fired at him but gave chase a second time, throwing a discarded firearm at the defendant's windscreen as he left.
After his arrest, the defendant told police he had wanted to kill as many people as possible and he wished he had killed more. He called his actions "terror attacks" which were motivated by his radical ideological beliefs.
The court is expected to spend all of today hearing victim impact statements.
rob.kidd@odt,co.nz
