The man who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand last year meticulously planned his shooting rampage to maximise casualties, a prosecutor said at the start of a sentencing hearing on Monday.
Brenton Tarrant, 29, an Australian national, has admitted 51 murder charges, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act in relation to the Christchurch massacre, which he streamed live on Facebook.
He faces a life term in jail, possibly without parole in a first for New Zealand, when a High Court judge sentences him this week.
Handcuffed and dressed in grey prison clothes, Tarrant sat with hands clasped for most of the morning's proceedings.
He showed little emotion and looked directly at those delivering victim impact statements.
Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said Tarrant told police after his arrest that he wanted to create fear in the Muslim population.
"He intended to instil fear into those he described as invaders, including the Muslim population or more generally non-European immigrants," Mr Hawes said.
He also expressed regret for not taking more lives and planned to burn the mosques down, Mr Hawes said.
Tarrant spent years buying high-powered firearms, researched mosque layouts and timed his March 15 attacks to maximise casualties, the prosecutor said.
He went to Christchurch about two months before the March 15 attack and flew a drone directly over Al Noor Mosque, focusing on its entry and exit points.
While most of the victims were at Al Noor Mosque, he attacked a second mosque before being detained on his way to a third.
The attacks prompted a global outpouring of grief, as well as scrutiny, with regulations imposed on online platforms after he streamed the mosque shootings live shortly after uploading a manifesto.
In court, Gamal Fouda, imam of Al Noor Mosque, told the man that he was "misguided and misled", and that his hatred was unnecessary.
"I can say to the family of the terrorist that they have lost a son and we have lost many from our community, too," Mr Fouda said.
"I respect them because they are suffering as we are."
The mother of Ata Elayyan, Maysoon Salama, said she constantly wondered what her son was thinking in his last moments "armed only with his courage" after he was gunned down at the Al Noor Mosque.
"I can't forgive you," Ms Salama said. "You gave yourself the authority to take the souls of 51 people.
"Our only crime in your eyes is that we are Muslims. You killed your own humanity and I don't think the world will forgive you for your horrible crime.
"May you get the severest punishment for your evil act in this life and hereafter."
Elayyan, 33, a goalkeeper for the New Zealand men's futsal team, was near the back of the mosque while his father, near the front, survived the attack after being shot in the head and shoulder.
Security was tight outside the court, with police dogs pacing the streets and snipers on rooftops, television footage showed.
With social-distancing in place because of the re-emergence of the coronavirus in New Zealand, a small public gallery is at the main court, with survivors and families of victims viewing the proceedings in seven court rooms.
Live reporting from the courtroom is banned and restrictions have been put in place on what the media can report.
High Court Judge Cameron Mander said he had received and read more than 200 victim-impact statements, along with submissions from various organisations.
Mr Mander said he would not sentence the man before Thursday morning so survivors and family members of victims had an opportunity to address the court.
A murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. The judge can impose a life term without parole, a sentence that has never been used in New Zealand.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo