Rabat – Turkish intelligence, according to an op-ed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, found that the perpetrator of the New Zealand terror attack against two mosques visited Morocco, Croatia, and Israel.
Turkish security services said that the 28-year-old Australian attacker visited Turkey twice in 2016.
Turkish services are now cooperating with New Zealand law enforcement to investigate the murder to avoid possible future attacks, according to Erdogan, who published his op-ed in the Washington Post.
The perpetrator, whom police arrested after the attack, filmed himself while he was shooting Muslims inside a mosque.
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The gunman killed 50 people and injured at least 50 more in the heinous attack.
The suspect had also written a 74-manifesto expressing anti-immigrant views and implying that migrants with higher birth rates are displacing European populations.
Muslims and non-Muslims all expressed support and solidarity with the victims and their relatives.
As March 21 marks a week after the terror attack, the New Zealand government decided to air the Muslim call to prayer on Friday to honor the victims.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the gesture translates the country’s “desire to show support to the Muslim community as they return to mosques, particularly on Friday.”
