The Australian man Brenton Tarrant, 28, has shocked the world for emerging as a Christian terrorist to mastermind Muslim massacre.
Who is Brenton Tarrant?
Mr Tarrant who was allegedly responsible for livestreaming a massacre of Muslims as they prayed in New Zealand mosques was previously not known to security agencies in Australia or New Zealand, authorities have said.
Brenton Tarrant, 28, accused of carrying out attacks on two mosques in Christchurch on Friday that resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people, including children, was charged with murder as he appeared in a district court on Saturday.
Tarrant, described by Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison as an “extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist”, expressed admiration for other violent white nationalists and his intention to “create an atmosphere of fear” and to “incite violence” against Muslims.
Bob Parker, a former Christchurch mayor, said it was unclear why security agencies weren’t aware of the threat Tarrant posed.
“I think there are questions to be asked about why this wasn’t picked up by authorities. There does seem to be a significant amount of information that was put online sometime before this attack took place, and it does not seem to have rung alarm bells in the right places,” Parker told Al Jazeera.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a media conference that Tarrant was not on a “terrorist” watch list.
“This individual was not on any watch list for either New Zealand or Australia,” she said. “What I’ve sought from [security] agencies is further work to ascertain whether or not he should have been.”
An Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson confirmed to Al Jazeera “the man was not known to police in Australia for violent extremism or serious criminal behaviour”. Three other suspects were detained along with Tarrant on Friday, but police now say he acted alone.
“The NSW joint counterterrorism team has begun an Australian based investigation to assist New Zealand police,” the AFP spokesperson said. “With an investigation under way, it is not appropriate to provide further comment.”