Two years after Christchurch shooting, far-right haunts Australia

New Zealand attack by Australian gunman exemplifies growing security threat

A police officer stands guard outside the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, two days after the March 15, 2019, shooting attack by a lone Australian gunman. © AP

MITCH RYAN, Contributing writer

March 15, 2021 12:57 JST

SYDNEY -- Matt Quinn was once a youth leader with a passion for tackling injustice -- an unlikely candidate, perhaps, to form a white supremacist gang.

But the Australian says he was also bullied as a teenager. "I just kept getting beaten up," recalled Quinn, now 40. "Having this group was like protection for me, nobody would touch me."