Teenagers who carry out an attack at an Islamic center in San Diego are reported to have referenced the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand as an inspiration for their violence. Multiple accounts describe the attackers’ writings as lengthy and hostile toward various groups, and they say researchers and threat analysts identify Christchurch as a prominent model among far-right and violent extremists. Analysts point to the Christchurch attack’s scale and the materials associated with it, including a manifesto-like document and the fact that the killer livestreamed the shootings, as factors that make it influential in extremist online communities.
One article also notes that Christchurch has been linked by researchers to later attacks by other perpetrators, including a shooting at a Texas Walmart in which 22 people were killed. Threat analysis experts interviewed by one outlet describe a pattern in which some violent extremists seek to replicate high-casualty attacks they perceive as having the most impact, using them as templates for future attacks. The reports characterise the San Diego case as part of a broader pattern of “copycat” inspiration drawn from past mass violence.
