The whole world knew about the Christchurch shooting attack on two mosques by gunman Tarrant back in 2019. As many as 51 people were killed in the horrific incident that took place in New Zealand, and recently the man attempted to make his third attack on a mosque. Moreover, gunman Tarrant’s wish was to set the mosques on fire so that the number of casualties would rise to the maximum.
The Australian man Brenton Tarrant has been booked for multiple charges. He was sent on trial after being accused of the murder of 51 people, terrorism, and attempted murder of more than 40 people.
Presently, gunman Tarrant is sentenced to life imprisonment without parole due to the Christchurch shooting. Moreover, the crime was so horrific that such a punishment is mandatory. According to records, this is the first time in the history of New Zealand that someone is sentenced to life imprisonment minus any parole.
The gunman is a 29-year old young man in court for the final hearing on Monday, August 24. Here, the relatives and survivors of his victims questioned him about his motive. Maysoon Salama, the mother of Atta Elayyan, grieves the death of her son. She asked Tarrant how he could give himself the supremacy to kill so many people. Salama further questions him whether there was any other reason for such a massacre apart from the fact that they were Muslims. She added that his crime was beyond forgiveness and that she will never show any mercy to him.
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The tragic incident of Christchurch Shooting
The incident happened on March 15, 2019, and gunman Tarrant recorded a part of the horrific tragedy LIVE. People could see him open fire at the mosques. At first, his car stopped at the Al Noor Mosque, where many people were offering their Friday prayers. Tarrant open fired here, and quite a few people died on the spot.
Next, he drove for 3 miles (5km) to reach the Linwood Mosque. He again opens fire, and the maximum number of people present in the mosque was dead after some time. The attack was so shocking that it shook the whole world. Experts suggested New Zealand make all the necessary alterations to their pistol and gun laws.
The final hearing for the criminal began on Monday, August 24, and lasted for four days. The main courtroom was not brimming with people as usual due to the social distancing measures. However, several people will be able to witness the proceedings over LIVE videos from other courtrooms. During the trial and sentencing, Brenton Tarrant was wearing plain grey color prison clothes. He maintained silence throughout except for looking up and around occasionally. There were some of the relatives and survivors of his victims present in the main courtroom.
Unfolding the incidents one by one
Soon, Barnaby Howes, public prosecutor, started unfolding how gunman Tarrant carried out the whole plan. According to Barnaby, Tarrant was making the plan for a long time, and his ultimate goal was to kill as many people as possible. He did detailed research on the mosques in New Zealand, including reading about the buildings’ plans and architecture.
Tarrant further had a full-proof plan of carrying out the whole incident on a day when mosques are the most crowded. Moreover, before carrying out the project, gunman Tarrant used a drone to find out more about his target. He also went to Christchurch himself to investigate whether everything is favorable for him.
Apart from the Linwood Islamic Center, and the Al Noor Mosque, Tarrant also had plans to attack the Ashburton Mosque. However, the police caught him on his way to Ashburton Mosque.
During the narration of the incident, Advocate Howes highlighted about what had happened to Ansi Alibava. You will be shocked to learn that Tarrant ran over Alibava with a smiling face. As he moved forward, he kept on killing people trying to escape from the mosque. The people in the attack also include African men who were directly shot on trying to escape the attack spot.
Later, Tarrant also pointed his gun on a Caucasian man’s face, but later smiled at him and went away. Since gunman Tarrant represents himself in the court, he had expectedly tried to deny the entire incident. However, there was no way in which he could escape the eyes of the law. High Court Justice Cameron Mander has presently sentenced Tarrant to a 17-year term. However, the chief justice makes it clear that he also can finalize the life-imprisonment sentence minus parole.
Let’s recall the victims of the attacks
During the trial, more than 60 people came to court to give their statements on this attack. The Al-Noor Mosque’s Imam, Gamal Fouda, says that such hatred is unnecessary. He also believes that Tarrant is misled and misguided in life. Imam Fouda says that the hate in the terrorist’s eyes is visible when he was facing him. Ashraf Ali, son of a late victim, recalls the incident’s memories, saying that he is still in trauma. Whenever he thinks of the experience, there is only blood around him and several dead bodies. Some of the other victims were 3-year old Mucaad Ibrahim, whose father could not save him from the direct bullet that entered his body. Moreover, there were 70-year old Abdukadir Elmi, who had survived the civil war.
In an interview, Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, says that the entire week will be quite difficult for the families. Moreover, she believes that there is nothing so vital to say that the families and relatives of the victims would feel better. Besides, she has made a promise not to mention the name of gunman Tarrant after the trial gets over. Just a month after the Christchurch shooting took place in NZ, an ammunition bill was presented.
Writing allows me to pour my heart out in words. So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 6 years. I strive to bring in a change in the world by taking tiny steps of curating the right message that needs to be conveyed.
