Accused Christchurch massacre gunman Brenton Harrison Tarrant has made a white power gesture from behind a glass window during a brief appearance in court.
Tarrant, 28, originally from Grafton, New South Wales but more recently a resident of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island, was dressed in a white custody outfit with a black sash around his waist.
Flanked by two much taller armed security officers, Tarrant smiled faintly as he stood behind a small glass barrier which came up just above his eyes.
Police allege that after opening fire inside the Al Noor Mosque Tarrant drove to the Linwood Masjid Mosque across town and continued his rampage.
A second man Daniel John Burrough, 18, has also been charged with 'exciting hostility or ill-will' in relation to the mosque attacks but he did not appear in court.
Members of the public were banned from entering the court during the proceedings, but one man outside tried to break-in during the hearing.
He said he wanted to 'knife' the accused attacker and showed reporters a weapon he was carrying.
So far 49 people have been confirmed dead - including at least one child - while dozens more remain missing.
Short of stature with a stocky build, with thinning hair and beady brown eyes, Tarrant stood squarely in place throughout the entire hearing.
He swivelled his torso around to repeatedly glance at the media, at District Court Judge Paul Kaller and out the windows of the Christchurch District Court.
At the beginning of the hearing he appeared to have a faint smile on his face, but it faded into a neutral expression as the hearing continued.
Security was tight, with about six security guards and police in total, the guards wearing black protective vests.
No members of the public were allowed to attend except for media 'in the interest of public safety', the judge said.
Tarrant was remanded in custody. His duty lawyer did not apply for bail. Nor did he apply for suppression on information of the proceedings.
The hearing was all over in just a few minutes, with Tarrant taking one final look at those gathered and marched away. Some victims' relatives were waiting at the front doors to the court.
He has been charged with one count of murder but police say many more charges are expected to be laid when he reappears in the High Court on April 5.
Tarrant was photographed and filmed in court by New Zealand cameras but they have been ordered to pixellate his face in images from inside court.
Burrough has also been charged with intent to excite hostility or ill will against any group of persons in New Zealand and publishing written matter which is insulting, court documents said.
Another man remains in custody, and police are still trying to 'build a picture of any of the individuals involved and all of their activities prior to this horrific event'.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed the death toll stands at 49, with 42 injured.
He said that after receiving the initial emergency call at 1.42pm local time, police took 36 minutes to track down and detain Tarrant.
'That is an incredibly fast response time. You had a mobile offender across large metropolitan city. I am very happy with the response of our staff,' Bush said.
Police arrested three men - including Tarrant and Burrough - and a woman following Friday's attacks.
Commissioner Bush said that the third man was spotted carrying a gun by a police officer, but after questioning it was revealed the man was on his way to collect his children from school and took the weapon to protect himself.
'In terms of people who have been charged, we have - as you know, we apprehended four people on the day,' Mr Bush said.
'One was released quite early - a member of the public who just wanted to get their kids home, but decided to take a firearm.'
A surgeon from Christchurch Hospital described Friday's events as 'carnage'.
Families were crowded around the entrance to the hospital through Friday night, unsure if their loved ones were alive.
Police confirmed all bodies were recovered from the mosques by the end of the night, with a dozen operating theatres in use to save the lives of survivors.
Makeshift candlelit vigils were underway in Christchurch on Saturday night, with a remembrance ceremony planned for Monday.
The first victims of the terror attack have been confirmed as Haji Daud Nabi, 71, Naeem Rashid and his son Talha, 21.
Mr Rashid could be seen in the chilling live-stream of the attack at Al Noor Mosque attempting to pry the gun from the grip of Tarrant.
Two of Mr Nabi's sons Omar, 43, and Yama, 45, appeared outside Christchurch District Court on Saturday morning where they shared photos and stories of their father.
Omar said his dad was one of the first Muslims in New Zealand, moving to Christchurch in 1977 and opening the Tuam Street mosque after discovering the country was a 'slice of paradise'.
There are fears that several children who had accompanied their fathers to Friday prayers were killed when the gunman opened fire.
Among them is three-year-old Mucad Ibrahim who was last seen at the Deans Avenue mosque with his father and brother Abdi.
The accused gunman Brenton Harrison Tarrant grew up in the rural New South Wales town of Grafton, but left the area in his early 20s following the death of his father Rodney to cancer.
He spent up to seven years travelling the world from 2011 onwards, and one woman who knew him before he left Grafton speculated to Daily Mail Australia that 'something happened to him' during this time. She also recognised him as being the man in the massacre video.
Tarrant claimed in a so-called 'manifesto' to have made money trading Bitcoin, enabling him to travel the world. He also spoke of visiting a wide range of countries including Pakistan, and a photograph showed him on a tourist trip to North Korea.
A picture posted on social media by a Pakistani hotel manager in 2018 appears to show him in the country during his time abroad.
But at some point he seems to have become obsessed with terrorist attacks that happened in Europe between 2016 and 2017. His ranting manifesto is filled with Neo-Nazi ideology and hatred for Muslim people.
Prosecutors in Bulgaria have launched a probe into Tarrant's recent visit to the country.
He visited Bulgaria from November 9-15 last year claiming he wanted 'to visit historical sites and study the history of the Balkan country', according to Bulgaria's public prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov.
Tsatsarov said he hoped the inquiry would establish if this was 'correct or if he had other objectives'.
One woman who knew Tarrant before he left Grafton said he worked as a personal trainer who was obsessed with fitness but seemed like a well-adjusted young man.
In a twisted manifesto that he posted online before the massacre, Tarrant described himself as an 'ordinary, white man', who was born into a working class, low income family of Scottish, Irish and English decent.
The gunman wrote that he had 'little interest in education' growing up, and did not attend university as he had no great interest in anything offered at the schools.
He claimed he made some money investing in Bitconnect - a type of digital currency - before he then used the money to travel overseas.
Tarrant, who would later go on to become a personal trainer, inherited a love of physical fitness from his father, who reportedly died of an asbestos-related illness.
A woman who claims to have previously known Tarrant through the gym, alleged it was him in the live stream.
She told Daily Mail Australia that he followed a strict dietary and exercise regime and worked at the gym after he finished school.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said Tarrant always 'threw himself into his own personal training' before he later became a qualified a trainer and started training others.
He was very dedicated to his own training and to training others, she said.
'He was in the gym for long periods of time, lifting heaving weights. He pretty much transformed his body,' she said.
The woman also said she had not spoken to him or heard him talk about his political or religious beliefs.
'From the conversations we had about life he didn't strike me as someone who had any interest in that or extremist views,' she said.
'But I know he's been travelling since he left Grafton. He has been travelling overseas, anywhere and everywhere.
'I would say it's something in the nature of his travels, something he's been around.
'I know he's been to lots of different countries trying to experience lots of different things in life and I would say something's happened in that time in his travels,' she said.
In a previous Facebook message about a trip to Pakistan on Facebook, he wrote it was 'an incredible place filled with the most earnest, kindhearted and hospitable people in the world,' The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
'The beauty of hunza and nagar valley in autumn cannot be beat,' he stated.
Tarrant allegedly entered the Al Noor Mosque on Friday during afternoon prayers and opened fire, capturing the attack on a camera strapped to his helmet.
The distressing video streamed to his Facebook profile shows a man firing more than 100 shots at those inside while screaming worshippers run for their lives.
The guns were scrawled with the names of past mass killers and cities where the shootings occurred.
The alleged gunman's rampage began when he got into his car wearing military-style body armour and a helmet saying 'let's get this party started'.
He then drove to the mosque listening to a Serbian folk song glorifying war criminal Radovan Karadzic and military tunes before parking in an alley around the corner.
After retrieving one of at least six guns stored in his car, he walked up to the front door and began firing indiscriminately at worshippers inside.
The gunman stormed inside and fired quick bursts at anyone he saw. One wounded man tried to crawl away but was shot again after he calmly reloaded.
He fired into crowds of huddled worshippers, sometimes not even looking where he was shooting and reloading numerous times.
When the sound of his gun stopped between magazines, the moaning of wounded people could be heard until the shots began again.
Several times he stood over wounded men, reloaded his gun, and shot them multiple times to make sure they were dead.
Tarrant then walked outside and appeared to fire on at least two targets, returned to his car and swapped his shotgun for a rifle.
Returning to the mosque he walked over to a pile of dead or wounded men in the room and began shooting them in the head to ensure they were dead.
He then ran outside and shot another person he saw on the mosque's front lawn.
The woman stumbled on to the street and was lying face down in the gutter yelling 'help me, help me' as the shooter walked up to her. Tarrant calmly leaned over her and shot her twice in the head.
Seconds later he returned to his car and drove over her body to make his escape, stopping to shoot at least one other person through his car window.
As he drove he expressed regret for not staying longer and 'burning the mosque to the ground'. Two jerry cans of petrol were earlier seen the the back his car.
'But, s**t happens,' he said. 'I left one full magazine back there, I know for sure. I had to run along in the middle of the firefight and pick it up.
'There wasn't even time to aim there were so many targets. There were so many people, the car park was full, so there's no real chance of improvement.'
Footage from within the Masjid mosque later showed survivors tending to the wounded.
In a manifesto seemingly written by Tarrant and shared to Twitter, he mentions being inspired by other shooters including Anders Breivik who killed 77 people in Oslo, Norway in 2011.
He said he 'disliked' Muslims and hated those who had converted to the religion, calling them 'blood traitors'.
Tarrant said he originally wanted to target a mosque in Dunedin, south of Christchurch, after watching a video on Facebook.
'But after visiting the mosques in Christchurch and Linwood and seeing the desecration of the church that had been converted to a mosque in Ashburton, my plans changed,' he wrote.
'The Christchurch and Linwood mosques had far more invaders.'
He said he had been planning an attack for up to two years and decided on Christchurch three months ago.
The shooter said he was motivated to carry out the attack by the death of Swedish schoolgirl Ebba Akerlund, a girl who was killed in a terrorist attack in Stockholm in April 2017.
Tarrant said he was a supporter of Donald Trump as a 'symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose'.
'My parents are of Scottish, Irish and English stock. I had a regular childhood, without any great issues,' he wrote.
The gunman said he carried out the massacre to 'directly reduce immigration rates to European lands'.
He said New Zealand was not his 'original choice' for the attack but said the location would show 'that nowhere in the world was safe'.
'We must ensure the existence of our people, and a future for white children,' he wrote.
He wrote that the shooting was an 'act of revenge on the invaders for the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders in European lands throughout history'.
'For the enslavement of millions of Europeans taken from their lands by the Islamic slavers... for the thousands of European lives lost to terror attacks throughout European lands,' the gunman wrote.
He shared photos to his now-removed Twitter account ahead of the attacks, showing weapons and military-style equipment.
In posts online before the attack Tarrant wrote about 'taking the fight to the invaders myself'.
Ms Ardern condemned the attacker, saying: 'You may have chosen us, but we utterly condemn and reject you.'
'My thoughts, and I'm sure the thoughts of all New Zealanders, are with those who have been affected, and also with their families.'
Early reports indicated a shooting at Christchurch Hospital. However, Ms Ardern said the mosques were the lone targets on 'one of New Zealand's darkest days'.
Dozens of families spent the night crowding the front doors of Christchurch Hospital, unsure whether their loved ones had survived. One woman took to social media to ask whether anyone had seen her husband.
'Assalamualaikum [peace be with you] currently we still don't have any news on my husband. Please keep him on your prayer.'
The nation's terror threat level was elevated to 'high alert' following the terror attacks, the second highest possible.
However, police have confirmed there are no further suspects.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed the death toll had risen to 49 as of 9pm local time.
'This is absolutely tragic. So many people are affected. We don't know the identities of those who have died yet because those places are in lockdown,' he said in a statement at about 6pm.
Speaking of the victims, Commissioner Bush said: 'Our love and thoughts go out to them and all of their family, all of their friends and all of their loved ones.'
He also praised local police officers who responded to the attacks.
'We have staff around the country making sure everyone is safe, including armed offenders at all mosques. Police staff have gone above and beyond to protect people today.'
Armed police were seen patrolling the Masijd Ayesha Mosque in Auckland after the attack in Christchurch.
Bush earlier urged Muslims in New Zealand not to go to mosques on Friday.
Commissioner Bush said four people were taken in to custody with one later released. He also confirmed there were bombs attached to a car near the scene of the shootings, which were disarmed before they could detonate.
Ms Ardern condemned the attacks, saying they were 'an unprecedented act of violence, an act that has no place in New Zealand.
'This is not who we are. The people who were the subject of this attack today, New Zealand is their home. They should be safe here. The person who has perpetuated this violent act against them, they have no place in New Zealand society.'
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was 'horrified' by the 'callous, right wing extremist attack'.
'The situation is still unfolding but our thoughts and prayers are with our Kiwi cousins,' he said.
He and Ms Ardern discussed the repercussions of the attack later on Friday evening. Australia's terror threat level did not change as a result of the attacks.
Witnesses described horrific scenes as the gunman went on the rampage just after 1.30pm on Friday.
A man inside the mosque at the time of the shooting said there 'bodies all over me'. A man who escaped during the shooting said he saw his wife lying dead on the footpath.
'My wife is dead,' he said while wailing.
Witness Ahmad Al-Mahmoud described a white man wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest.
'The guy was wearing like an army [suit]. He had a big gun and lots of bullets. He came through and started shooting everyone in the mosque, everywhere,' Ahmad Al-Mahmoud told Stuff.
'They had to smash the door - the glass from the window and the door - to get everyone out.
'We were trying to get everyone to run away from this area. I ran away from the car park, jumping through the back [yard] of houses.'
Another witness said he ran behind the mosque to call the police after hearing the gun go off.
'I heard the sound of the gun. And the second one I heard, I ran. Lots of people were sitting on the floor. I ran behind the mosque, rang the police.
'I saw one gun on the floor. Lots of people died and injured.'
Meanwhile, dramatic footage has emerged of a person suspected of being involved in the attack being arrested on Friday afternoon.
The video filmed by a passing motorist shows the suspect's grey station wagon wedged between the gutter and another police car, with its front wheels in the air spinning.
The suspect appeared to still be inside as officers approached the vehicle with their weapons drawn.
One officer reached inside the vehicle and dragged a person out, as a second stood guard with their weapon drawn.
The suspect was seen wearing dark clothing, and in the footage an officer appeared to have hit the person.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said there were 'some absolute acts of bravery' during the arrests of four people.
Bangladesh players and support staff have been preparing for the third test of a series against New Zealand, set to begin on Saturday, and were walking through Hagley Park when shooting broke out at the Al Noor mosque.
Tweets from sports reporters and team members say the group 'just escaped' the shooting, which saw a man enter the mosque and fire multiple shots at dozens of people as they tried to flee.
The team's opening batsman, Tamim Iqbal said on Twitter the 'entire team got saved from active shooters'.
He said it was a 'frightening experience' and asked supporters to keep the team in their prayers.
Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim said Allah had saved the team.
'We r [sic] extremely lucky,' he wrote. 'Never want to see this things [sic] happen again... pray for us.'
Shrinivas Chandrasekaran, the team's performance and strategic analyst said they had 'just escaped active shooters'. He said their hearts were pounding and there was 'panic everywhere'.
ESPN cricinfo correspondent Mohammad Isam told the New Zealand Herald the team were 'not in a mental state to play cricket at all,' following the horrific attack.
'I think they want to go back home as soon as possible. I'm speaking from experience, I'm speaking from what I've heard,' he said
'Everyone is at the Hagley Park dressing room ... two players are back at the hotel. They didn't come out for the prayers so they are back at the hotel and the entire coaching staff are safe.'
The scheduled test between New Zealand and Bangladesh has been cancelled.
Later in the day, two abandoned backpacks sparked another bomb scare at Auckland's largest train station. A bomb disposal robot was used to investigate the backpacks while pedestrians were cordoned off.
While there was no reason to believe there were any more suspects, the prime minister said the national threat level was raised from low to high.
Air New Zealand cancelled several flights in and out of Christchurch, saying it couldn't properly screen customers and baggage.
Police said the investigation had extended 240 miles to the south, where homes in Dunedin were evacuated around a 'location of interest.' They gave no details.
Among the victims was a Jordanian man, the country's foreign ministry said, the first and only victim identified so far.
People from around the world were in the mosque at the time of the assault.
Among them were were six Indonesians - three of whom were reported safe, the country's foreign minister Retno Marsudi said, adding they were searching for the others.
A Saudi Arabian man, two Malaysians, two Turks and at least five Jordanians were among those wounded.
India's high commissioner to New Zealand said nine people of Indian nationality or origin were missing.
Young children were among 48 people being treated at Christchurch Hospital.
The shooting happened near Cathedral Square where thousands of children were protesting for climate change action. The protesting children were told to go home to ensure their safety.
Christchurch Boys' and Girls' high schools were both placed into lockdown. The restrictions were lifted hours later.
Parents of students at Christchurch Girls' High School were sent a text message telling them the lockdown was 'not an exercise'.
The Canterbury District Health Board activated its mass casualty plan and the city council placed its central city buildings into lockdown.
Rugby star Sonny Bill Williams shared an emotional tribute to those killed in Friday's mosque shooting.
In a video posted to Twitter, a tearful Williams, who is a proud Muslim, said he 'couldn't put into words how I feel right now'.
The 33-year-old told followers he was sending prayers to the loved ones of those killed, and praying himself the victims would end up in paradise.
'Just sending my duas (prayers) and Mashallah (god willing) - everyone that's been killed today in Christchurch... your families ... [I'm] just sending my duas to your loved ones and Mashallah you guys are all in paradise,' he said.
'I'm just deeply, deeply saddened that this would happen in New Zealand.'
The massacre is the worst ever experienced in New Zealand, with 49 casualties and another 11 people still fighting for life.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
