A man from Christchurch pleaded guilty to sharing footage of the New Zealand mosque shootings last month, which took the lives of 50 people.
The video distributed by Philip Arps, 44, was originally recorded by a gunman involved in the massacre. According to prosecutors, Arps then shared the video to an anonymous person and ordered that person to edit in crosshairs and add the number of fatalities. He then allegedly shared the video with 30 of his associates.
The video was barred by New Zealand’s Chief Censor David Shanks, along with a 74-page manifesto written by one of the suspects involved in the attack, Brenton Tarrant. Tarrant’s manifesto,”The Great Replacement,” reportedly claimed that he viewed Trump as a “symbol of renewed white identity.”
“Were/are you a supporter of Donald Trump?” he wrote. “As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose? Sure. As a policy maker and leader? Dear god no.”
Shanks has outlawed viewing, possessing, or distributing the manifesto and the video.
Arps, who pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing the video, will remain behind bars until he is sentenced in June. He is facing up to 14 years in prison.
