Update and Analysis on Christchurch Attack Mosque Shootings
A shocking double mosque shooting has occurred in Christchurch New Zealand with 40 confirmed dead and 25 critically injured with authorities arresting four suspects for the Christchurch attack. One of whom is believed to be Australian born alleged white supremacist ‘Brenton Tarant’.
The shootings occurred at the city’s Deans Ave and Linwood Ave mosques on the Muslim day of worship as well as a gunman opening fire on survivors being brought into the city’s hospital for treatment. An number of explosive devices were found but have been neutralized by authorities.
In a surreal and shocking Facebook live video streamed from a Go-Pro which has now been taken down, he can be seen driving his car with multiple shotguns with a least one rigged to automatic covered in different messages including ‘Kebab Remover, 14, Charles Martel, Vienna 1683, Luca Traini, ‘For Rotheram’.
His tactical vest also was embroidered with a Sonnenrad, the black sun often co-opted by white supremacist groups, the Church of Satan and used by the Third Reich.
For context, Luca Traini is an Italian man who opened fire on migrants at a bus stop after an Italian woman was raped, murdered, chopped into pieces and stuffed in a suitcase by migrants.
Charles Martel was a french duke whose military prowess turned the Moorish expansion into Europe and drove them from the Iberian Peninsula.
Vienna 1683 is likely a reference to the Polish Winged Hussars who came to the aid of Vienna and broke the Ottoman siege, turning the tide of the Ottoman encroachment into Europe.
In the video he proceeds to enter the mosque, opening fire with a shotgun and an assault rifle as worshipers attempt to shield each other in the corners helplessly. After sweeping the building and perimeter he then re-enters the building to execute the injured heard moaning and crying.
One of the weapons used in the live video had ’14’ written on it, likely representing the ’14 words’ popularized by white supremacist ‘David Lane’.
The New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern has released a statement on the attack and so far held two press conferences, along with the Christchurch Police Commissioner Mike Bush.
No doubt this tragic event will be used by those on the left to tarnish nationalists and associated groups by any tenuous or direct connections the suspects may have had to them. The mainstream media are already having extremism experts on discussing the surge of increased nationalists groups and the need for them to be more closely monitored.
The aftermath of this horrific event will be social disquiet in New Zealand and Australia with political divisions to become even more entrenched in current discourse.
Lawmakers will quickly use the momentum to introduce more firearms regulation as they did after the Port Arthur massacre. New Zealand currently has more relaxed gun laws that Australia though gun control advocates have been pushing for the Australian laws to be introduced.
Given the seeming calm efficiency with which he used the firearms, and the ease with which he dealt with a misfire/jam it, could the Christchurch Attack perpetrator Brenton Tarrant be ex-military or have received training from military personnel?
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