Son of New Zealand mosque attack victim describes 'cowardly' gunman as 'trash of society' as he confronts him in court

Imogen Braddick27 August 2020

A man whose father was killed during the mosque shootings in Christchurch last year has described the "cowardly" gunman as "trash of society" as he faced him in court for the first time.

Brenton Tarrant, an Australian, has pleaded guilty to 51 murder charges, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act for carrying out the attacks in New Zealand on March 15, 2019.

The attacks, which targeted people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques, shocked the nation and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons.

Ninety survivors and family members have spoken about the impact of the attacks during Tarrant's sentencing hearing this week.

Many of the victims and family members have asked the judge to impose the maximum possible penalty — life without the possibility of parole.

Ahad Nabi, who lost his father Haji in the attack, stared at Tarrant before delivering a passionate statement, demanding that Tarrant should "never walk free" for his actions.

Ahad Nabi, who lost his father in the attack, confronted the gunman in court
Getty Images

"My 71-year-old dad would have broken you in half if you had challenged him to a fight," Mr Nabi said.

"But you are weak, a sheep with a wolf's jacket on for only 10 minutes of your whole life.

"There's nothing heroic about shooting people from behind and people not having a chance of defending themselves."

Mr Nabi gave Tarrant the middle finger with both hands and said the gunman "deserved to be buried in a landfill".

"Your father was a garbage man and you became trash of society," he said.

"He is ashamed of your identity. You deserve to be buried in a landfill. This world was created with colour, a peasant like you will never change the human race.

Brenton Tarrant is due to be sentenced this week for the attacks in Christchurch
REUTERS

"Your wish is to make this world a racist cult of one colour, but you will never succeed.

"Allah allowed your small plan to go ahead for the people to see the bigger picture and to be aware of our evil surrounding. Your actions on that day displayed what a coward you are.

"You shot at defenceless people that were not aware of what was going on until they knew it was too late."

Addressing the judge, Mr Nabi said: "I ask from you, your honour, that this scum of the world never be allowed to walk free from prison in his lifetime."

A statement from the father of the youngest victim, three-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim, was also read to the court.

The boy's father said his son loved playing in the mosque and made friends with all the worshippers, young and old.

Mucaad loved to run around at home and dress up as a police officer, his father said, and they wondered if he would one day join the force.

Ahad Nabi demanded that Tarrant should "never walk free"
Getty Images

"Your atrocity and hatred did not turn out the way you expected," the father said in the statement.

"Instead, it has united our Christchurch community, strengthened our faith, raised the honour of our families, and brought our peaceful nation together."

A woman speaking about her beloved father also brought many people in the courtroom to tears.

Sara Qasem said she wonders if, in his last moments, her father was frightened or in pain, and wishes she could have been there to hold his hand. She told the gunman to remember her dad's name, Abdelfattah Qasem.

"All a daughter ever wants is her dad. I want to go on more road trips with him. I want to smell his garden-sourced cooking. His cologne," she said.

"I want to hear him tell me more about the olive trees in Palestine. I want to hear his voice. My dad's voice. My baba's voice."

Sara Qasem brought the courtroom to tears after delivering her victim impact statement
REUTERS

Ms Qasem said Tarrant made a choice. "A conscious, stupid, irresponsible, cold-blooded, selfish, disgusting, heinous, foul, uninformed and evil choice," she said.

It comes as Tarrant told a New Zealand judge on Wednesday that he will not speak in his defence at the sentencing hearing.

Tarrant had been given the opportunity to speak on Thursday — the final day of the hearing.

The gunman had earlier sacked his legal team but was appointed a standby lawyer at the high court in Christchurch.

Philip Hall, the standby counsel, told judge Justice Cameron Mander that he would make a brief statement on Tarrant’s behalf.

Tarrant confirmed to Justice Mander that he did not wish to speak.