AUCKLAND: An Australian far-right extremist charged with murdering 51 Muslims during a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques last year has unexpectedly flipped his plea to guilty.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Muslim community expressed relief at the surprise decision which removes the need for a lengthy trial. The suspect Brenton Tarrant, aged 29, had previously denied 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism.
Authorities feared that the trial of the self-avowed white supremacist would be used for neo-Nazi propaganda but the main suspect reversed his plea in a hurriedly arranged court hearing. “Yes, guilty,” Tarrant told Christchurch High Court via videolink from Auckland Prison as the charges were read out to him.
Tarrant stared intently at the camera while making his confession. Neither the suspect nor his lawyers offered any explanation for the change, making him New Zealand’s first-ever convicted terrorist.
New Zealand does not have the death penalty but Tarrant faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars. The terror and murder charges all carry life sentences, setting a minimum non-parole period of 17 years bu the judge has the power to imprison without the possibility of release.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the admission of guilt would provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered in the attack. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, and other witnesses, the ordeal of a trial,” she said. When asked how she reacted upon hearing the news, Ardern replied: “I let out a huge sigh of relief”.
Judge Cameron Mander recorded convictions on all charges and said Tarrant would be sentenced at a date yet to be determined. “The guilty pleas represent a very significant step towards bringing finality to this criminal proceeding,” he said. The guilty plea came with New Zealand in its first day of a four-week COVID-19 lockdown.
The judge said sentencing would take place at a time when victims and their families can attend the court in person, adding that the advance hearing was taking place in case Tarrant changed his mind at the last minute and maintained his innocence. Tarrant’s trial had been due to start on June 2 and last some six weeks.
Tarrant armed himself with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons and attacked the Al Noor mosque first, before moving on to the Linwood prayer centre and live-streamed the killings. His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly.
In a manifesto posted online before the killing spree, Tarrant said he had moved to New Zealand with the specific aim of conducting an atrocity against Muslims and said he became radicalised while traveling around Europe, His actions prompted Ardern, who has vowed never to say the killer’s name, to tighten New Zealand’s gun laws and launch a campaign to curb online extremism.
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