Christchurch attacker Brenton Taranto on trial: 'Attacker wanted to kill as many people as possible'

 The man who killed 51 people at two New Zealand mosques last year in 2019 was planning to target the third mosque. This was revealed during the ongoing sentencing hearing. Accused Brenton Tarrant also planned to burn down mosques and wanted to "kill as many people as possible." Tarantula, an Australian citizen, has been charged with 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of terrorism. Tarrant, 29, could face up to life in prison. Never before has there been such a severe punishment in New Zealand.  Torrent also broadcasts some footage of the attacks lives on social media. The attacks, which sent shockwaves around the world, forced New Zealand to make drastic changes to its gun laws. The trial, which has been attended by relatives for some time, began on Monday morning in Christchurch. The Central Courtroom was relatively empty due to the Code 19 restrictions. Seven additional courtrooms inside Christchurch's Law Complex are being used for survivors of the attack and their families, many of whom will testify in the trial over the next three days. Public Prosecutor Barnaby Hughes told the court that the attacker had been plotting for several years, with the aim of "killing as many people as possible." He collected information about New Zealand's mosques, obtained floor plans for buildings, studied the location, and other details to target them when there was a rush. A few months before the attack, he went to Christchurch and flew drones over his main target, the Al-Noor Mosque. In addition to the Al-Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center, it also planned to target the Ashburton Mosque. The court was told that on the day of the attack, Taranto shot at people trying to flee the Al-Noor Mosque on the street. One of its victims was Ansi Ali Bawa. The accused had crushed them while leaving the mosque in a vehicle. He turned his shotgun on himself when apprehended by a police officer on the porch of the house where the shootings took place. He also pointed his gun at a white man for a moment, but then "smiled and went ahead." Tarrant told police after his arrest that his plan was to burn mosques after the attack. Tarrant had previously denied the allegations against him and was due to stand trial in June before withdrawing his appeal. He is representing himself in court. He faces up to 17 years in prison, but High Court Justice Cameron Mander, who is hearing the case, has the power to sentence him to life in prison without parole. Never before has such a severe punishment been meted out in New Zealand. In the next few days, more than 60 people who have been personally affected will make statements. Some have traveled abroad to New Zealand and have been quarantined for two weeks before appearing in court.

Dr. Hamima Twain, whose husband, Zakaria Twain, died nearly seven weeks after being shot at the Al Noor Mosque, left Singapore on time for a hearing so that she could appear in court on time after spending time in quarantine. She told the BBC she was unsure whether to write about the effects on her, which would be read in front of Torrent. She feared that this would "strengthen her narcissism" but in the end, she decided to do just that. Hundreds of others will be able to watch the trial on video feeds broadcast live in the city's second courtroom. These arrangements have been made to address social distance. Less than a month after the shooting, New Zealand's parliament voted 119 to one to approve reforms to the ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons, as well as a ban on the manufacture of spare parts that contain prohibited firearms. Can be used to make. The government offered compensation to the owners of new illegal weapons under the buyback scheme to compensate them.