By Elishya Perera
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CWBN)_ New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern apologised for failings on the part of the government to prevent the Christchurch mosque attack in March last year.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry report, which was released earlier today (Dec 8), revealed that despite the shortcomings of various agencies, the murders could have only been prevented “by chance”. The report claimed that the “fragmentary” information available on shooter Brenton Tarrant prior to the attacks was insufficient to mark him as a threat.
However, the report did say that spy agencies had failed to sufficiently explore the right-wing terror threat, due to their “inappropriate” focus on Islamist extremism.
Following the release of the report, PM Ardern said, “The commission made no findings that these issues would have stopped the attack. But these were both failings nonetheless and for that I apologise.”
The royal commission also called for extensive reforms for counter-terrorism operations, in response to attacks by white supremacists. However, Ardern pointed out that one of the major criticisms made by the report regarding lax firearms law had already been addressed by her government.
New Zealand’s police chief Andrew Coster joined the country’s prime minister in apologising to those affected by the terror attacks, saying, “We could have done more.”
“The only information that could or should have alerted police and other agencies to the attack was the email sent by the terrorist to parliament just eight minutes before the attack,” he said.
Following the mosque attack in Christchurch on March 15 last year, Tarrant became the first person in New Zealand to be imprisoned for life without the parole, after he pleaded guilty to terrorism, 51 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder in August.
The royal commission, the most powerful judicial probe available under New Zealand law, was due to report on the attacks last December. However, it was delayed at first, by the overwhelming number of responses, and later by the COVID-19 pandemic.
