CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, on Monday ordered an inquiry into what government officials knew about the gunman in Friday’s massacre before he carried out the attack that left 50 people dead at two mosques in Christchurch. “The purpose of this inquiry is to look at what all relevant agencies knew or could or should have known about the individual and his activities, including his access to weapons and whether they could have been in a position to prevent the attack,” she told reporters at an afternoon news conference in Wellington, the capital. Comparing New Zealand’s process to that of Australia — which enacted strict gun laws 12 days after a mass shooting in 1996 — she said, “We’ve taken 72 hours. There are still some details that needs to be worked through. I want to do that but still work as hard as we can.”

Source: New York Times March 18, 2019 04:51 UTC