The gunman in a mosque in New Zealand submitted a letter to 4chan from his prison cell
New Zealand Shooting 4chan : The guy suspected of killing 51 people in the New Zealand mosque shootings managed to send a letter from prison, which was then posted on the 4chan website, warning a “Alan” from Russia of impending “great conflict.”
Brenton Tarrant’s six-page paper was uploaded on the forum earlier this week, prompting officials in New Zealand to apologise for allowing the white supremacist to express his views while incarcerated.
Kelvin Davis, the country’s prisons minister, said in a statement on Wednesday, “I have made it clear that this cannot happen again.”
His remarks come as websites that allow alleged killers like Tarrant to disseminate their abhorrent beliefs are being scrutinised more closely.
8CHAN HAS GONE OFFLINE AFTER A WEBSITE DESCRIBED AS A “CESSPOOL OF HATE” RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM AN INTERNET COMPANY
Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, issued a 74-page manifesto on the website 8chan before the March 15 shootings, in which he believed immigrants were invaders who will eventually supplant the white race.
8chan, a more extreme offshoot of 4chan, was then taken offline earlier this month after two firms shut off critical technical services in reaction to allegations that the gunman who killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, put a racist anti-Latino rant on the website.
In a statement, Matthew Prince, the CEO of Cloudflare, which provides services to protect against distributed denial-of-service attacks, said, “The El Paso shooter specifically referenced the Christchurch incident and appears to have been inspired by the largely unmoderated discussions on 8chan which glorified the previous massacre.”
Tarrant’s letter, dated July 4, appears to be scribbled in pencil on a little notepad and sent to “Alan” in Russia, according to the 4chan post. Much of it appears to be rather harmless, with Tarrant recounting a one-month vacation to Russia that he claims he took in 2015.
However, according to the Associated Press, the letter also warns of an impending “great struggle” and employs language that may be interpreted as a call to arms.
AFTER CHRISTCHURCH SHOOTINGS, NEW ZEALAND RETURNS MORE THAN 10,000 FIREARMS
Tarrant thanks “Alan” for the postal stamps he reportedly provided, explaining that they’re the only two pieces of colour in an otherwise dreary cell and that he’ll have to keep them hidden from the guards.
He also claims that he “cannot go into any great detail regarding regrets or feelings since the guards would seize my letter and use it as proof if I do.”
According to Davis, prisoners in New Zealand have rights that include the capacity to send and receive mail.
He claimed that the prison system has the authority to withhold correspondence, and that it had done so in the past withholding letters Tarrant attempted to send or receive.
“We’ve never had to manage a prisoner like this before,” he added, “and I’ve asked concerns about whether our laws are now fit for purpose and sought advice on what adjustments we might need to make.”
REPORTS OF EPSTEIN’S DEATH LEAKED ON 4CHANNEL ARE REVIEWED BY THE FDNY
Davis, according to a New Zealand parliament member, should demand prompt answers on how such a letter could be sent from a maximum-security jail.
“This individual is accused of committing one of New Zealand’s most terrible crimes,” David Bennett, a parliament member, said in a statement.
“New Zealanders will be appalled that Corrections enabled him to send a letter with a call to action, which was afterwards shared online.”
New Zealand law only enables a prison director to withhold a prisoner’s mail under a “very narrow” range of circumstances, according to the Corrections Department, which regulates prisons.
The agency stated, “Upon evaluation, we acknowledge that this letter should have been withheld.”
“We’ve changed the way this prisoner’s correspondence is managed to guarantee that our robust protocols are as effective as they need to be.”
When asked about the situation, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern remarked that “every New Zealander would expect that this guy should not be allowed to communicate his abhorrent message from behind bars.”
Following the mosque attacks, Tarrant pled not guilty to terrorism, murder, and attempted murder charges.
He is still in custody awaiting his trial, which is set to begin in May.
Read Also
