When Brenton Tarrant booked a flight to Dunedin in February 2017, it was the first step along a path that would lead to him becoming New Zealand’s worst mass murderer.
By all accounts, during the 18 months he lived in Dunedin he was a loner, an introvert.
According to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the deadly March 15, 2019 terror attacks, he attended the gym and rifle clubs, and did minimal socialising at both.
Those who did come into contact with him appeared to have no idea that at his Somerville St flat he was buying guns, posting extremist rhetoric online, and planning his attack.
But, the commission determined, from the moment he booked his flights to New Zealand from Australia, he was committed to carrying out an act of terror.
Arrival on our shores
In January 2017, he emailed the Bruce Rifle Club, located in Milburn, to inquire if it was still operating.
He arrived in Auckland on August 17 that year, and landed in Dunedin on August 20.
"We see these activities as the first manifestations of his terrorist intent," the commission’s report stated.
He told friends and family he chose Dunedin because of its climate, Scottish heritage, and low levels of immigration.
The commission speculated he may have wanted to ensure he did not have regular contact with anyone he knew, that anonymity reducing the likelihood of raising concerns about his behaviour.
Fifteen days after arriving in New Zealand, he took the first step towards obtaining a firearms licence.
That licence was granted on November 16, 2017.
He did not work, living off money left to him by his late father and income from investments made with that money.
The former gym instructor also attended a Dunedin gym from October 2017 to October 2018.
Gym staff later described him as a nice guy who liked to travel, generous, and willing to help.
But two gym members thought there was something about him that "felt off".
He seemed like a "weirdo, but harmless", one said.
Increasing radicalism
During his time in Dunedin, he sporadically used social media, both to post his own views and to engage with those who shared his views.
In 2018, posting in a Facebook group under the username Barry Harry Tarry, he expressed anger about an Islamic school located across the road from his gym in Dunedin.
Describing it as "sickening", he also hit out at the fact University of Otago students were being taught by a Muslim staff member.
He later told the commission he had made purchases on the Dark Web, and that YouTube was a significant source of "information and inspiration".
He donated to at least 14 far Right, anti-immigration groups and individuals.
The commission also found evidence that he tried to wipe his digital footprint. For example, he tried to delete emails and removed the hard drive from his computer. The hard drive has not been located.
While his extremist views continued to strengthen, he was also buying guns.
He bought his first gun on December 4, 2017 — less than a month after his firearms licence was granted.
By April 18, 2018, he had amassed 10 guns, four of which he later sold.
He became a member of the Otago Shooting Sports Rifle and Pistol Club on February 14, 2018, and joined the Bruce Rifle Club 12 days later.
Club records showed he shot there on December 14, 2017, 21 times in 2018, and five times in early 2019.
There were varying accounts of his behaviour from Bruce Rifle Club members.
Some said he was polite and courteous, worked hard during a working bee, and hardly talked about politics.
Nothing about him jumped out at them, some said.
One member described him as "a bit arrogant", while another called him aloof.
It was noted he usually shot standing up, and his primary interests appeared to be firing extremely fast and changing magazines quickly.
He also displayed interest in a member’s military background to the point where the member felt uncomfortable.
His last recorded visit to the club was March 2, 2019.
In early 2019, the terrorist’s property manager had a chance meeting with him in a hardware store and noticed four petrol containers in his trolley.
It is believed those containers were later filled with petrol and used to create crude incendiary devices intended to set fire to the Al Noor Mosque.
Family fears
While he flew under the radar in Dunedin, with limited social contact, his mother became concerned by his behaviour.
She and her partner visited the terrorist from December 31, 2018 to January 3, 2019.
Their interactions were awkward. In one incident, on January 2, they went out for breakfast in Dunedin.
They went to a cafe, but soon left after the terrorist refused to spend money in "migrant cafes".
He told his mother he wanted his money going to "white New Zealanders".
They found somewhere else to eat, and travelled home in silence.
His mother later told Australian Federal Police she felt "petrified" about his mental health and increasingly racist views.
She felt he had no friends, and isolated himself in a small, empty flat.
His flat was sparsely furnished — there was a main bedroom, a second bedroom with a computer, desk and chair, and a lounge with only a bed to sit on.
That visit was the last time she saw her son.
His behaviour was also noted by his sister.
He travelled overseas three times between January 16, 2018 and March 15, 2019.
During one trip to Australia in late 2018, he told his sister and her partner that he wanted to move to Ukraine because it would be cheaper, and Dunedin was too multicultural.
Final planning
In February 2018, the terrorist wrote himself a budget. He was working out when the money left to him by his father would run out.
He confirmed to the commission he had been planning to carry out an attack in Dunedin in August 2019, but that was abandoned because he was running out of money.
In July 2018, he wrote a "to do" list.
It included more physical training, going through his files and house to "make sure all is clean and good optics", researching other mosques, and "fine tune the go plan".
In December that year, he travelled to Poland to lay a false trail to try to show he had international support for his planned attacks.
In the early days of the new year, he began to carry out reconnaissance. He drove to Christchurch and flew a drone over the Al Noor Mosque. He drove past the Linwood Islamic Centre.
Days later he went to the Al-Huda Mosque in Dunedin.
He told the commission he decided against an attack on the Dunedin mosque for three reasons: it did not look like a masjid and would not have the same symbolic significance, he did not want to hurt Muslim students who might return to home countries after studying, and, there was more than one mosque in Christchurch.
A final plan was created on January 30, 2019.
Before March 15, he installed apps such as GoPro and Skype on his phone, found an Al Noor Mosque walk-though video, and posted extreme right-wing material on social media.
He also sold most of his personal belongings, and arranged to terminate the lease on his flat on April 1.
The night before the attacks he spoke to both his mother and his sister over the phone. He made a point of telling both of them he loved them.
