Brenton Tarrant appears in court in relation to the mosque attacks. Photo: Reuters

Premier and Minister of Finance and Tourism of the Virgin Islands (VI), Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1), condemns terrorist attack on NZ Mosques. Photo: VINO/File

Hon Fahie in a public missive—following the deadly shooting which left 49 dead—said, “the government of the British Virgin Islands joins the world community in strongly condemning the act of terrorism this week in New Zealand.”

According to Premier Fahie, “as a Territory that is built on people of multiple faiths and cultures—a strength of ours that we fully embrace – we are of the firm view that there is no place for the bigotry that manifests itself through this hate crime in Christchurch.”

Licence Firearms

The suspect, Brenton Tarrant has since been charged in connection with the shootings at two mosques.

The carnage was streamed live on social media by Tarrant, using a head-mounted camera, where he also identified himself in the footage.

The 28 year-old, Australian, has since been remanded in custody without a plea and is due to appear in court again on April, 2015 according to a BBC report.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Ms Jacinda Ardern, has since called the attack "an act of terror."

Ms Ardern said the guns used by the attacker appeared to have been modified, and that the suspect's car was full of weapons, suggesting "his intention to continue with his attack".

Speaking at a news conference, following the shooting, she said the suspect had obtained a gun licence in November 2017 that allowed him to buy the weapons used in the attack.

How events unfolded

The first report of an attack came from the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch during Friday’s prayers at 13:40 hrs.

The gunman reportedly drove to the mosque, parked nearby and began firing into the mosque as he walked in through the front entrance.

He fired on men, women and children inside for about five minutes.

Tarrant reportedly then said to have driven about three miles to another mosque in the suburb of Linwood where the second shooting occurred. New Zealand police say they recovered firearms from both mosques.