The man who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 had plans to target a third mosque, his sentencing hearing has heard.
Brenton Tarrant also planned to burn down the mosques, wanting to “inflict as many fatalities as possible”.
The Australian has pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 attempted murders and one charge of terrorism.
Tarrant, 29, faces life in prison, possibly without parole – a sentence never before imposed in New Zealand.
The attacks, parts of which the gunman streamed live online, saw him open fire at two mosques in Christchurch on 15 March last year.
He first drove to the Al Noor mosque, firing on people taking part in Friday prayers. He then drove about 5km (3 miles) to the Linwood mosque and killed more people.
The attack sent shockwaves around the world and prompted New Zealand to make swift changes to its gun laws. BBC
