- The shooter found guilty of killing 51 people in New Zealand’s worst-ever massacre will soon be sentenced for his crimes
- The Australian man opened fire on two Christchurch mosques in March last year as part of a wider terror attack against Muslims
- Brenton Tarrant was arrested by police on his way to a third mosque, where he admits he planned to attack more worshippers
- Earlier this year, Tarrant plead guilty to 51 charges of murder and 40 charges of attempted murder relating to the massacre
- Tarrant will now be sentenced this week in the New Zealand High Court for his horrific attack
The shooter behind the Christchurch massacre will soon learn his fate, with sentencing underway in New Zealand’s High Court.
Brenton Tarrant has plead guilty to killing 51 people, and injuring 40 others, during a terror attack on two Mosques in Christchurch last year.
The Australian mass murderer is expected to be sentenced to life in prison, with no parole, the harshest sentence available to be handed down.
The Court is currently hearing impact statement’s from survivor’s of Tarrant’s massacre against Muslim worshippers, as part of the four-day sentencing hearing.
Survivor Khaled Majed Abd’el Rauf Alnobani addressed the shooter, telling him he had failed in his plan to divide people.
“My heart is broken, but we are not broken. We are united. You have done that and I thank you for that,” he said via translator.
Khaled was present on March 15, 2019, when Tarrant first entered the Al Noor Mosque and began opening fire on afternoon worshippers.
He then left the Mosque to grab another gun from his car, opening fire on people outside of the building, before re-entering and again attacking worshippers.
“I heard the shooting start and then saw people I know being shot. I tried to help people, but I had to run. I felt horrible when I was outside and I could hear the shooting still going inside the mosque,” Khaled said.
The entire attack was live-streamed by the shooter and published online.
After attacking the Mosque twice, Tarrant then drove to the Linwood Mosque on the other side of town, where he again opened fire on worshippers.
He tried to obtain another gun from his vehicle to continue the assault when one of the worshippers began fighting back. Eventually, Tarrant fled.
Police intercepted his vehicle as he headed towards another nearby Mosque to continue his massacre. There, they swiftly arrested him and brought an end to the horrific attack.
Since then, Tarrant has remained behind bars in the maximum-security Auckland Prison, where he remains separated from other prisoners.
He’s appearing in person at the High Court to listen to survivors speak and hear Judge Cameron Mander’s wider sentencing, which is expected to conclude in the coming days.
It’s widely expected Tarrant will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his lead role in the massacre.