Christchurch massacre: Inquiry finds failures ahead of attack

Reuters

An inquiry into the Christchurch massacre has found a series of failures ahead of the 2019 attack, but concluded the tragedy was unpreventable.

The inquiry was launched after white supremacist Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people at two mosques in March 2019.

It found he had been able to accumulate a massive trove of weapons, with authorities failing to enforce proper checks on firearms licences.

It further found officials were overly focussed on Islamist terrorism.

However, correcting these failures would not have stopped the Australian national, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole earlier this year, from carrying out the attack, it said.

What's more, the patchwork of clues discovered by police after the massacre - including his steroid abuse, a hospital admission after he'd accidentally shot himself, and visits to far-right websites - would not have proved enough to predict the attack.

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"The commission found no failures within any government agencies that would have allowed the terrorist planning and preparation to be detected," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said after the release of the report.

"But they did identify many lessons to be learnt and significant areas that require change."

She highlighted "failings within the firearms licensing regime" and "inappropriate concentration of resources" on a perceived level of Islamist threats.

"While the commission made no findings that these issues would have stopped the attack, these were failings nonetheless and, for that, on behalf of the government I apologise."

The report includes a list of recommendations which the government said it would all accept, including establishing a new national intelligence and security agency and a proposal for the police to better identify and respond to hate crimes.

The government also plans to create an ethnic community ministry and a graduate programme for ethnic communities.

What happened in Christchurch?

On 15 March, the Australian attacker opened fire on worshippers inside the Al Noor mosque, broadcasting the attack on Facebook Live via a headcam he was wearing.

He then drove to the Linwood Islamic Centre where he shot people outside and then shot at the windows.

A man from inside the centre rushed outside and picked up one of the attacker's shotguns before chasing him away.

Police officers then chased and arrested the gunman. After his arrest, the attacker told police that his plan was to burn down mosques after his initial attack and he wished he had done so.

During his sentencing in August this year, the court heard that he had planned to target another mosque, but was detained by officers on the way.

How did New Zealand respond?

Earlier this year, the attacker was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The judge called his actions "inhuman", saying he had "showed no mercy".

The massacre also prompted New Zealand to reform its gun laws.

Less than a month after the shootings, the country's parliament voted by 119 to 1 on reforms banning military-style semi-automatic weapons as well as parts that could be used to build prohibited firearms.

The government offered to compensate owners of newly-illegal weapons in a buy-back scheme.

While there was widespread praise for how New Zealand dealt with the tragedy in the aftermath, there was also criticism that authorities might have ignored warnings that hate crimes against the Muslim community were escalating.

In response to that, the government launched the the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the massacre. It is the highest level of independent inquiry available under New Zealand law.

The report took about 18 months to compile and contains interviews with hundreds of people including security agencies, Muslim community leaders and international experts.

"Ultimately, this roughly 800-page report can be distilled into one simple premise," Ms Ardern said.

"Muslim New Zealanders should be safe. Anyone who calls New Zealand home, regardless of race, religion, sex or sexual orientation should be safe."

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December 08, 2020 at 04:26PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55211468