From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 9, 2026
Christchurch mosque shooter, who murdered 51 people in 2019, appeals conviction
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A white supremacist who shot and murdered 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019 launches an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction.
Brenton Tarrant, an Australian former gym instructor, admitted carrying out New Zealand’s deadliest modern-day mass shooting before being sentenced to life in jail in August 2020.
Now, the convicted killer argues that his “torturous and inhumane” detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty, according to a court synopsis of the case.
If the Court of Appeal in Wellington upholds his conviction, it would hold a separate hearing later in the year to consider an appeal against his sentence.
His penalty of life imprisonment without parole was the stiffest in New Zealand history.
Tarrant filed his appeal out of time, so he would need the court’s leave for it to proceed.
Armed with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Tarrant attacked worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
He published an online manifesto before the terror attack and then livestreamed the killings for 17 minutes.
His victims were all Muslim and included children, women, and the elderly.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.