As people across the globe mourn, questions have been raised about whether the attack could have been prevented with better intelligence sharing and online surveillance.
On Friday afternoon local time, a gunman carried out an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 49 people.
But as people across the globe mourn, questions have been raised about whether the attack could have been prevented with better intelligence sharing and online surveillance.
The alleged shooter appears to have had a significant online footprint, with pictures of his weapons posted online before the shooting and an apparent manifesto describing the contours of his white supremacist and right-wing ideology shared on social media.
Recently, some questioned New Zealand’s role in the Five Eyes alliance—a group of countries that also includes the U. S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia—which share intelligence among each other. Critics have argued that New Zealand should be kicked out of Five Eyes for its slow response to political interference by the Chinese Communist Party. Others, however, say that New Zealand is too close of an ally to shut out.
Residents were evacuated off the street as police investigated a Somerville Street property in Dunedin, New Zealand, believed to be related to the deadly terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, on March 15. Dianne Manson/Getty Images
But many national security experts say Friday’s shooting in New Zealand probably could not have been prevented, even with robust intelligence sharing measures.
