The Wellington Court of Appeals confirmed to the Herald this morning that Brenton Tarrant has appealed his conviction and sentence.
A spokeswoman for the Court of Appeal said no hearing date has been set yet.
In March 2020, Tarrant pleaded guilty to 51 murders, 40 attempted murders and terrorism.
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
When he pleaded guilty, many victims of the terror attack expressed relief at having been spared the trauma of going through trial.
New Zealand’s worst act of terrorism ever was filmed by Tarrant and streamed live on Facebook, sparking gun reforms and a global political summit initiated by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.
Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times in the attack on the Al Noor mosque, had not heard the news of the appeal when the Herald contacted him and said he would discuss it with his lawyer tomorrow.
“He does these things to keep reminding the public that ‘I’m still here’.
“He’s not trying to be forgotten.
“It’s not going to work and he’s going to stay there forever.”
Rahimi Ahmad, who was shot at Al Noor and badly injured, was today “very surprised and depressed” about the terrorist’s latest move.
“I really hope his request is not granted,” he said.
“He was very lucky to be treated well in prison.”
Tarrant’s attorney Ron Mansfield KC has been contacted for comment.