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New Zealand mosque attacker laid low to avoid detection, inquiry finds
- A nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report found that there were no clear signs the attack, which killed 51 Muslims, was imminent
- But it did detail failings in the system for vetting gun licences, and said that local intelligence agencies were too focused on Islamic extremism
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Associated Pressin Wellington
A comprehensive report into last year’s Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 Muslim worshippers were slaughtered sheds new light on how the gunman was able to elude detection by authorities as he planned out his attack.
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The nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report released on Tuesday shows that the attacker, Brenton Tarrant, kept a low profile and told nobody of his plans.
It concludes that despite the shortcomings of various agencies, there were no clear signs the attack was imminent – aside from the manifesto Tarrant sent out just eight minutes before he began shooting, which came too late for agencies to respond.
But the report does detail failings in the police system for vetting gun licences, and says that New Zealand’s intelligence agencies were too focused on the threat posed by Islamic extremism at the expense of other threats including white supremacism.
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Among 44 recommendations, the report says the government should establish a new national intelligence agency.
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