CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her office received a "manifesto" from the gunman suspected of killing 50 people in two Christchurch mosques minutes before Friday's attack.
"I was one of more than 30 recipients of the manifesto that was mailed out nine minutes before the attack took place," Ardern told reporters on Sunday.
"It did not include a location, it did not include specific details," she said, adding that it was sent to security services within two minutes of receipt.
Ardern said she had read "elements" of the lengthy, meandering and conspiracy-filled far-right "manifesto".
"The fact that there was an ideological manifesto with extreme views attached to this attack, of course, that is deeply disturbing," she said.
The PM also reiterated her promise that there will be changes to the country's gun laws in the wake of a terrorist attack on two mosques and said her Cabinet will discuss the policy details on Monday.
At a Sunday news conference, Arden used some of her strongest language yet about gun control, saying that laws need to change and "they will change."
New Zealand has fewer restrictions on rifles or shotguns than many countries, while handguns are more tightly controlled.
Unlike the US, the right to own a firearm is not enshrined in New Zealand's constitution.
Ardern declined to discuss more details until she'd talked to her Cabinet, the group of top lawmakers that guides policies.